Lonestar Love
by cassy7
Summary: Shawn and Mandy prepare for their wedding. Will something get in their way? and will Mark find love?How does Laney feel about that?
1. Chapter 1

Lonestar Love

Okay, this is the fifth story in my family series. As with the other stories in this series there are not separate brands. All superstars expect the Texans live in Connecticut.

Now, this story takes place 14 months after the last story so here's a rundown on the characters.

Paul and Steph are still married. The twins, Austin and Aaron are 15 months old and are doing good.

Dave is still Dave. You'll have to read to see if his love life is still on the rocks.

Jayden has quit her job at Raw magazine and is working full time on MASA and support groups for rape victims. She has also written a book about monsters in the dark.

Randy is now 25 and a little more grown up. He still does not have a long term relationship.

Journey is 23. She's in her last year of college. She has moved in with John and Ari.

Ari is now 10 years old.

Laney is now 15.

I do now own anything or anyone. I am not making any money off this. I do it for the enjoyment of others and myself.

I have to admit that I am not that interested in writing this story. I have the next story all written in my head and I'm really anxious to start it but I know I can't just jump from the last story to that story. So I have to write this one but I'm just not into it. Hopefully as the story fills out I'll get an idea where it's going and will be able to write more smoothly. I probably rewrote the first chapter like a dozen times.

So that probably means updates are going to be slow. I apologize in advance.

Happy reading.


	2. parole

Dallas Texas

We don't have to do this." Jayden suggested as they stepped out of the car.

Mandy Calloway bit her lip as she stared up at the building in front of them. "I have to at least try."

Jayden laid a hand on her friends arm. "You do remember what I told you about these events right?" She asked earnestly.

"That no matter what we say in there he's probably going to get out anyway." She nodded. "But as long as there's a chance, however slim."

The older girl sighed as she looked up at the sky. "I set up the rape support group four years ago and in that time I've probably gone to ten of these things and it's all been the same."

"They don't go through what we did so they don't understand." Mandy mused pushing through the front door. She grimaced at the sight of the metal detectors. "But you know." She continued once they had recollected their belongings. "I think I'm going to get something out of this experience."

Jayden smiled at the stubborn tilt of her friend's chin. "What's that?"

"I'm going to get to face the bastard and realize that I'm not as afraid of him as I think I am." She answered confidently.

"Just remember not to listen to anything he says to you." Jayden advised.

Three hours later Mandy kept her eyes fixed on the door at the far end of the room. Her back ached from sitting in one position for too long with her muscles tense. She pushed the thought from her mind determinedly and concentrated on regulating her breathing.

She could feel Jayden studying her worriedly but couldn't risk looking over to assure her she was fine.

"Parole hearing for Zawal, Patrick." A monotone voice droned out.

Gut tightening Mandy clamped her hands together in her lap, causing her knuckles to whiten. She began having pressure in her chest from the over hard pounding of her heart. Still she kept her gaze pointed in one direction.

Finally the doors opened and a dark skinned man in a bright orange jumpsuit walked in. Spotting her he stopped and nodded his head in a pretense of respect. Raising her own head she attempted to stare him down, pressing her lips together to keep them from trembling.

"Mr. Zawal, you have been brought before the board at your request for parole. You were sentenced to twenty years in prison for sexual assault and rape." Mr. Palmer stated from his seat at the end of the head table. "The board would like to know why you feel you deserve to be given parole after serving six years of your sentence and what you have done to deserve this."

"Ladies and gentlemen." Zawal nodded his head in greeting. "I want to thank you for giving me this opportunity." He started in his heavily accented English. "I committed a crime. This I admit. I have never denied this. I turned myself in and confessed to my crimes."

He paused as he looked into each of the board members' eyes. "While incarcerated I have received counseling, studied on my disease, and have agreed to be chemically castrated."

Mr. Palmer nodded as he lifted a sheet of paper. "We have here your conduct record while during your residence at the Irving correctional facility. All personnel state you were a model prisoner and have written letters of recommendation." He glanced up. "Is there any objections to granting parole?" He asked.

"Yes sir." Mandy called out shakily as she stood up. Jayden squeezed her hand in support. "My name is Amanda Calloway. I am the one that was assaulted and raped by this man."

Mr. Palmer motioned for her to continue.

She swallowed hard as she recited what had occurred six years ago. "I was a nurse Baylor University hospital, working in the ER. On the night of the assault I treated Mr. Zawal for chest pain in concurrence of his cocaine use. During the time he was in the ER he made several lewd remarks and advances. To the point that I had security stand by anytime that I had to be in the room with him."

She paused as she closed her eyes to the images in her head. "There was a commotion on the other side of the ER and the security officer was forced to leave. At that time Mr. Zawal attacked me, knocking me down to the floor. He beat me until I stopped fighting him and then he raped me. In the middle of an ER full of people."

Her breath caught on a sob and she motioned for Jayden to continue for her. "This man was bold enough, and hyped up on drugs enough to attack my friend in a public place. If he could do it once he could do it again." The redhead said standing up.

"I am sure this is very hard for you and we appreciate you both being here for this." Mr. Palmer said as he turned to the other members of the board. After a discussion lasting five minutes he turned to face the crowded room.

"Mr. Patrick Zawal, we find that you have been rehabilated sufficiently and hereby grant your parole."

Rising quickly despite the buzzing in her ears Mandy rushed from the room and down the hallway. Upset herself at the unfairness of it all Jayden followed, gathering the sobbing girl in her arms as she led her out the building.

San Antonio Texas

Mark shrugged at the itch between his shoulders as he knelt down to scrub the fender of his truck. He couldn't shake the feeling that eyes were staring a hole in his back. Slowly he glanced over his shoulder, standing up in surprise at the sight of the big dog.

He turned around and studied it's too thin ribs and blood stained coat. Sighing in pity at its condition he started forward. "Here boy." He called softly, extending his hand.

The dog gave a low whimper as he licked the hand in greeting. Mark smiled as the dog gained courage and inched its way forward.

"What happened to you?" He asked running his hands over the soiled coat. He found several long cuts in the skin around the hip area. He murmured softly to the animal when it bumped its head against his thigh in pain. Mark worked his way down the legs, pausing when the animal gave a sharp yelp of pain.

"That's looks like it hurts." Mark murmured sympathically as he studied the swollen leg.

He looked into the dog's sad eyes. "You're so dirty you've even got dust in your eyes. Maybe that's what I'll call you. Dusty."

He smiled when the dog gave a happy bark. "Like that do you?"

Filling a bowl of water he offered it to the animal before he turned back to his truck. "Have to get this soap off here before it dries and I have to start all over." He called over his shoulder, not at all embarrassed to be talking to a dog.

Ten minutes later

"Hey buddy, do you think you can make it inside?" Mark asked bending down to rub his hand over the dog's ears. He stood up and walked towards the house, looking back to see the dog following carefully behind.

"Come on boy." He called holding open the screen door. The dog eyed him as it bellied over the entry to flop down on the cool floor.

"First things first." Mark said walking to the phone. Pulling the phone book out of the cupboard he looked up the number to a local vet.

"Good news boy." He said a couple minutes later after finishing the call. "The vet is in the area and she'll be here in a couple minutes." He walked to the refrigerator. "Let's see, we have some left over roast beef." He looked down at the dog. "There's a lot of it. My daughter wouldn't eat it. She said I couldn't cook." He put the remaining meat in a bowl and placed it in front of the animal.

"Who are you talking to?" Laney asked as she walked through the door.

Mark flashed a smile at his daughter. "Meet Dusty" He said indicating the dog. "Be careful." He cautioned when she bent down to pet the animal. "He's injured and skittish."

"Poor thing. Where did you find him?" She asked as she carefully stroked her hand over his fur.

"He found me." Mark explained. "I thought you were going shopping with Mandy?"

Laney shrugged. "She wasn't there. Shawn said she left early this morning."

"Did he say where she went?" He asked sitting down at the table. "You two had plans for a week now."

"No. I waited around for a while but she didn't show." She frowned. "The wedding is two weeks away. We were supposed to find my bridesmaid dress today."

"You've had fourteen months to plan this wedding and you two wait until the last minute to find this dress." He pointed out exasperated.

Laney shrugged as the doorbell rang.

"That's probably the vet." Mark got up to answer the door.

"Hi, I'm Sammie Hagan. I'm the new vet at Pet's First." She introduced herself, smiling widely, her lively green eyes twinkling.

Mark smiled in return. "Nice to meet you." He said inviting her inside. "I'm Mark Calloway and this is my daughter Laney."

"So I heard you have an injured dog?" She asked bundling her shoulder length brown hair on top of her head.

"Yeah, he's in here." Mark led her into the kitchen.

She gasped as she spotted the dog on the floor. "What the hell did you do to him?" She yelled turning to glare at him. "You can't treat animals like this. I'm calling the police. I'll have you charged with animal cruelty and make sure you never own another animal again." She ranted.

Mark held his hands up as she advanced on him. "Just calm down."

"She's not taking my horses." Laney spoke up from the doorway. She grinned at the look on her father's face.

"Go away." He growled at his daughter. He rose to his full height as he turned back to the vet. "He showed up here a little while ago. In this condition."

She put her arms on her hips. "You don't scare me. How do I know you're telling the truth?"

Mark growled low in his throat as he walked away to get control of his anger. "Why would I bring him in here and feed him if I was so cruel? Why would I invite you here to treat him if I had done this?" He ended in a shout. The dog whimpered and attempted to crawl under the table.

Mark let out his breath in a rush. "Hey boy. It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you. I might hurt her." He said as he knelt down. He ran his hand down the matted coat, smiling as the dog a soft woof.

Sammie shoved her hands in her pockets. "I guess I owe you an apology. I tend to get a little obsessive about animal cruelty."

He glanced up at her. "I didn't beat him but somebody did."

She nodded soberly as she bent down to study the animal. "He's got dirt crusted into those cuts. They'll need to be washed out thoroughly. That leg will need to be x-rayed. Will probably need to be put in a cast."

She looked up at him thoughtfully. "Are you planning on keeping him?"

Mark sighed as he stood up. "I don't know. I'm not home that much."

"That's too bad." She said as she rubbed the dog's ears. "Golden retriever like this makes a really good pet. Unless someone claims him in the next couple days we'll have to put him down."

"Put him down? Kill him?" Mark asked in shock.

She nodded. "Unfortunately without someone to care for him we would have to let him go."

"You know dad, Pete wouldn't have a problem talking care of him when we're gone." Laney called from the doorway. "Pete's our stable hand. He lives in a little cottage behind the stables." She explained to the vet.

Mark bit his lip. "So you think we should keep him?" He asked his daughter.

She laughed. "I think we have to. He's the only one that will eat your cooking. Besides you're already in love with him."

He gave an embarrassed laugh as Sammie looked up at him speculatively. "I guess that settles that."

She nodded as she tried not to smile. "I'll have to take him in. We have to quarantine him for ten days to rule out rabies." She looked up at him with her eyes twinkling. "You can visit."

Laney waited until they had settled the dog in the car and the vet had driven off before she approached her father.

"She's cute." She teased.

Mark turned around to glare at her. He narrowed his eyes at the big grin on her face.

"You still need a date for the wedding." She called as she danced out of his reach.

Dallas/Fort Worth

"Are you feeling better?" Jayden asked glancing over the top of the menu. She studied her friend's pale face.

Mandy shrugged. "I'm fine. I guess I just didn't realize how shook up I would get."

"I would be worried about you if it hadn't affected you." The other girl admonished. "We don't have to stay." She offered. "I'm sure you don't feel like eating right now. We could go home and you could lie down."

"No." Mandy said shaking her head. "I need some time to calm down before I see Shawn." She held up the desert menu. "Besides this triple chocolate cake looks pretty tempting."

"Well I guess chocolate is better than alcohol." Jayden mused smiling. "Better tasting too." She waited until they had ordered before continuing. "You're going to have to tell him something."

"Who Shawn?" Mandy asked pretending innocence.

"That is the man you're marring in two weeks." The red head pointed out.

"But that's why I can't tell him." The other girl protested.

Jayden looked confused. "I think you lost me there."

'How would you feel if you were going to get married next week and Dave comes to you with this big secret?" Mandy suggested.

"How do you think I would feel if he waited until after the wedding to tell me?"


	3. evasions

Hey everyone. I have another update and it only took me a little over two weeks. Good news is I'll be out of Massachusetts in four weeks and onto somewhere new. Maybe I'll have better luck there. Hope you like it. I came up with a new twist. Happy reading.

Connecticut

Dave glanced at the caller ID and debated about not answering. He knew what they wanted but wasn't sure he could face their questions. He didn't want to lie to them and didn't have the energy to keep up the happy pretense. The easiest thing to do would be to tell them what's been going on. But he wasn't ready for that, had barely accepted it himself.

The answering machine kicked on and John's voice came into the room. "Big man, where're at? Haven't seen or heard from you in a while. Kinda getting worried here. And don't come up with any excuses. I know Jayden's out of town. How about spending some time with the rest of us."

Dave sighed as he erased his friend's voice. The worry in the words had been apparent. He had to give them some kind of reassurance. Reaching over he picked up the phone.

"How's rehab been going?" John asked the older man as they were escorted to their table.

Dave shrugged as inside he winced. "It's going." He answered noncommittally. He smiled gratefully at the waitress when she handed them menus. "What are you planning to order?" He asked trying to change the subject.

Randy shared a look with his best friend. "Going as in going good or going bad? Are you going to be able to come back to work soon?" He asked after they had ordered.

"When they clear me I guess. Going to be a while yet." Dave answered. He avoided their raised eyebrows as he lifted his glass of water.

"Don't you want to come back to work?" John asked surprised. He couldn't image doing anything else but Dave sounded like it was a bad thing.

Dave shifted his eyes before answering. "Of course I want to come back. Why would you ask something like that?"

John shared another look with Randy. "You seem like you don't want to talk about it." He hedged. "Does it have something to do with us?"

Dave frowned. "Have you done something I need to be aware of?" He asked sternly.

"Is there something we need to be aware of? Cause you seem to be avoiding us an awful lot lately." Randy spoke up, his voice grim.

Dave pretended confusion. "I'm not ignoring you. Where are you getting all of this from?"

"You haven't been to the show in two months. You have no idea what's going on there or what's going on with us. You ignore our calls and pretend like you're not home when we visit." Randy told him, his voice slightly bitter.

"Every time we invite you over or ask you to do something with us you come up with some kind of excuse. You wouldn't have come today except that Jayden is in Texas helping Mandy with wedding plans." John pointed out.

Dave sighed. "I've just had a lot on my mind. Jayden's had the book tour and I had all the demands of the championship. We weren't able to spend a lot of time together. The past two months we've concentrated on just being with each other."

"So it isn't something more serious?" Randy asked apprehensively. He looked at the older man worriedly.

Dave dredged up a smile for his young friends. "I'm fine. Now if you two are done interrogating me I'm going to head to the bathroom."

John watched as the big man weeded his way through the tables before turning to his friend. "Think he's telling the truth?"

Randy shook his head. "Not a chance." He sighed. "Are you sure Journey doesn't know anything?"

John shook his head. "He's been ignoring her too." He looked around to make sure they were still alone. "You need to talk to Jayden."

The younger man snorted. "Don't you think I've tried? I haven't managed to catch her alone. I've even staked out the damn house. She's been sticking to him like glue."

"They're apart now." John announced, grinning wickedly. "Maybe it's time for one of your famous kidnappings."

"Who'd he kidnap this time?" The low voice asked in amusement behind them. Randy hunched forward guiltily as Dave sat back down.

"No one." He answered sending John a mean look.

"Yeah." Dave leaned back in his chair. "And I suppose you weren't the one that started the food fight in catering a couple weeks ago or the one that flooded the bathroom at the arena last week."

"Actually I wasn't the one that caused the flood." Randy defended himself. He frowned. "How do you know about that anyway?"

"Just because I've been a little preoccupied lately doesn't mean I don't check up on you."

John burst out laughing causing Randy to throw a roll at him.

"I wouldn't laugh if I were you. I know for a fact that Mark does the same thing with you." He grinned as his friend stopped laughing abruptly.

Texas

"What are you doing?" Laney asked slyly as she leaned over the back of the couch. Her blond hair swung forward as she tilted her head up to look at her father.

"What do you want?" Mark asked dryly, not looking up from his book. He could feel her looking at him expectantly.

"The keys to your truck?" She asked hopefully. She grinned when he put down his book and turned to stare at her.

Mark raised his eyebrows. "You don't know how to drive." He pointed out.

The teenager gave an exaggerated sigh. "I would if you would keep your promise and teach me." She said hopefully.

Mark shook her head at the excitement in her eyes. "You just got your learner's permit last week. You have a whole year to learn. What's the rush?"

Laney gave her dad her best puppy dog look. "Why can't we start tonight?" She pleaded. "The more time I have to practice the more experienced I'll be when I'm by myself." She reasoned.

"It's raining out." He pointed out as he picked up his book, managing to tune her out and concentrate on the words.

Narrowing her eyes she walked around the couch and sat down on the coffee table leaning forward as she stared at her father.

Mark let her sit there for five minutes before he lowered his book. "Now what?" He asked in exasperation.

"I'm not supposed to drive in the rain?" She asked innocently.

"That's not supposed to be the first thing you learn. Think of it more as an advanced lesson." He answered. "But, I guess there are a few things we can go over." He agreed spotting the mutinous look on her face.

"Now." She demanded jumping up. She triumpetly held up the keys to his truck.

"Nope, the first thing you need to do before learning how to drive is to read the driver's ED manual." He said picking the book up off the end table and exchanging it for the keys in her hand.

Laney rolled her eyes. "Daddy, I already read that before you took me to get my learner's permit." She whined.

Mark narrowed his eyes at her tone. "So I suppose you could tell me what to do when you park on a downhill slope." He questioned, folding his arms over his chest.

"Make sure you turn your wheels toward the curb and set the emergency break." She recited dutifully. "I did pass the learner's permit test with a hundred percent." She finished sarcastically.

Mark pursed his lips. "I guess we can go over the check lists in the truck." He said giving in.

Giving out a loud yell she snatched the keys back and raced for the door causing Mark to roll his eyes as he got up to follow.

"Okay." He said a couple minutes later in the passenger seat of his truck. "One of the most important things you need to know before you start driving is where every thing is."

"Daddy." She whined as she fastened her seat belt. "I've been watching you drive for only 15 years. I think I know where everything is."

"Delaney." He growled warningly. He waited until she had finished pouting. "Lights?"

She reached out and flashed the lights before crossing her arms over her chest rebelliously. Her father tamped down his frustration before indicating for her to check the mirrors. She gave a cursory look in the side mirror before turning to look at him.

"The mirrors are fine."

"There are three mirrors and it is important to check all three while driving." Mark pointed out as patiently as he could.

Laney gave an exaggerated sigh. "I looked in all the mirrors."

Mark clamped his hand to the top of her head. "Okay then, tell me what's behind the truck right now."

"You are so not being fair." She pouted jerking her head away.

"Then that's it for tonight." He stated firmly, climbing out of the truck. Laney slammed the door as she jumped out to follow him.

"Where are you going?" She demanded.

"Lesson's done for the day." He announced. He pointed to the trash cans behind the truck. "If you had tried to back out without checking your mirrors you would have hit the cans."

"Minor problem." She waved the problem away. "Why can't we keep going?"

"Because I said the lesson was over and if you keep arguing with me there won't be another one until you're 25." He announced walking into the house.

Connecticut

"How did it go?" Dave asked into the phone as he lounged in his favorite chair.

"Just about as horrible as we expected." Jayden answered. She flopped back on the bed. "We ended up getting a hotel room for the night. She didn't feel like she could face Shawn tonight without breaking down."

"Is she okay?" He asked in concern.

"She says she is but she's easily startled. It's going to take some time before she's going to be able to relax fully." She stared up at the ceiling as she listened to the sound of the shower.

"I guess she's going to be waiting for him to jump out of the shadows. What's Shawn going to say when she tells him what happened?"

Jayden sighed. "He's going to be angry that she didn't ask him to go with her today but not as angry as he's going to be if she waits until after the wedding to tell him, if she does at all."

"How can she not tell him?" He asked startled.

"She's scared. She thinks he'll reject her if she tells him."

"Can't you do something? Force her to tell or maybe tell him yourself? It's going to kill him if he finds out she went through this by herself." Images of Randy's and John's faces flashed through his mind. Shaking his head he forced himself to stay concentrated on the conversation.

"Dave I can't tell him. Its bad enough I told you. She has to reach that point by herself." She admonished. Hearing the shower turn off she quickly changed the subject. "So what did you do tonight? Did you remember to eat?"

"Actually I had dinner with John and Randy." He told her trumpet. He could easily image the shocked look on her face.

"That's all good but did you eat?" She persisted. She knew how little he had eaten in the last couple weeks.

He frowned at the phone. "I ate a little. Mostly I was fending off their questions."

"They're worried about you and they have a right to be. They're part of your family." She continued when there was silence on the line. "You're being a hypocrite."

Dave grinned into the darkness of his living room. "And I missed you too." He said sweetly.

Jayden smiled at the laughter in his voice. "I'm serious. You want Mandy to spill her guts while you keep your secrets hidden safely away."

"It's different."

"How?" She demanded.

Dave could see her crossing her arms in his mind. "When are you planning on coming home?" He asked instead. He was becoming an expert at changing the subject.

"At the rate you're going? Not until after the wedding." She replied hotly.

"You'd worry about me too much." He teased. He knew she hadn't wanted to leave him at all but Mandy's pain had been too much for her to ignore. He hated that he was having to scare her with his problems. Unfortunely he was scaring himself too.


	4. Confrontations

I hope everyone is having a good summer. I leave today for home. Just for little over a week. Then it's off to Phoenix. I have to say that Massachusetts has not been nice to me. I've had this chapter basically written out for two weeks now, just couldn't finish it. Now that I need to sleep words are pouring out, of course. Hopefully updates will start coming more regular now. Thanks for your patience.

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"Hey short stuff, whatcha doing?" Randy asked as he spotted the girl sprawled on the front steps of Shawn's house.

"Hey troublemaker. I'm waiting for Mandy." She grinned up at him. "I think the bigger question is what are you doing here?"

"What? I can't come down and visit my favorite little sister?" He asked innocently, laughing at the look she sent him. "I need to talk to Jayden." He answered finally.

"Well they're not back from their secret shopping trip." She told him sounding slightly sarcastic. She looked up at him suspiciously. "Why do you need to talk to her? What's wrong?"

Randy frowned. "Hopefully nothing." He replied sighing. "Shawn's inside?"

She nodded as her mind raced through all the possible reasons he might be here. Not noticing her worried look Randy continued across the porch and through the door. Shawn was waiting for him in the kitchen.

"What's wrong?" The older man asked immediately.

"Dave." Randy answered slumping into a chair. "Something really bad is going on."

"What makes you say that?" Shawn asked, rising to grab two bottles of water. He handed one to Randy.

"How many times have you seen him or talked to him in the last two months?" The younger man inquired.

"Maybe once." Shawn answered, concern written on his face. "He's not been giving you a hard time about getting into trouble? Have you seen him?"

Randy narrowed his eyes. "I don't get into trouble all that often." He defended himself. He shook his head to get back on track. "He's hardly been around and when we forced him to meet with us yesterday it was obvious. Something is definitely wrong. He looked wasted."

"As in drunk?" The older man asked, confusion written on his face.

"No, as in his body is wasting away. I'd say he's lost at least ten pounds and his eyes looked sunken, like they get when you don't sleep."

Shawn looked at the worry written on his friend's face. "What are you doing here? Why aren't you at home dragging him to the doctor?"

"Dave denies anything is wrong. So according to John I'm supposed to kidnap Jayden and force her to tell me what's going on."

Shawn laughed at the pained expression on the younger man's face. "Didn't you just tell me that you don't get into trouble that often?"

Randy shrugged in embarrassment. "This is different."

"I'll be sure to point that out to Dave." Shawn said as he cocked his head, listening to the sound of the car drive up. "That must be the girls now."

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Laney stood up and crossed her arms as she spotted the car coming down the driveway. She thought it was totally unfair of them to have gone shopping with out her. And to go out of town to do it, something she would have loved. Yeah San Antonio had some awesome stores but it had been forever since she had been to Dallas.

It also made her mad that Mandy had gone with Jayden. Laney wasn't sure about the older girl yet. She seemed nice enough and they had gotten along well when she stayed at Paul's last year taking care of Steph. But now she was dating Dave and it seemed like she was monopolizing most of his time. Then she comes down here and takes Mandy away.

Deciding that she wasn't putting up with that kind of treatment Laney stepped out onto the driveway, into the path of the oncoming car.

Mandy slammed on the brakes as she stared incredulously at the teenager. Laney stared back at her with her arms crossed.

"Delaney Calloway. What were you thinking?" Mandy shouted as she slammed the door. She stalked up to the younger girl. "I could have hit you."

"Wouldn't have been a problem if you had taken me with you." The teenager responded smartly. Neither one saw Shawn step into the doorway.

Mandy looked at her in confusion. "What are you talking about?" She asked exasperation plainly written on her face.

"Our shopping trip to find my dress. We were supposed to go yesterday and instead you take her." Laney shouted flinging her arm toward the redhead.

"Think she has a problem with Dave and Jayden being together?" Randy whispered as he came up behind Shawn. They watched as Jayden narrowed her eyes but remained quiet.

"Laney, I'm sorry that I forgot about our shopping trip yesterday but that is no reason to act like this. I had something very important to take care of." She rubbed her head as her headache returned full force.

"Something more important than me?" Laney asked in shock. She inhaled sharply as she brought her hand up to hold her chest.

"Stop being so dramatic. You know damn well the world doesn't revolve around you." Her aunt admonished as she turned to get her bags out of the trunk.

"So was it something to do with the wedding?" The teenager asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

Mandy bit her lip as she looked over her shoulder. "Not exactly and it's not something I want to discuss with you."

"Whatever. Did you buy anything for the wedding?" Laney asked as she walked around to peer into the car.

Mandy shook her head as she tried to keep up with the teenager's mood swings. "Actually I hardly thought about the wedding." She muttered, unaware that her voice carried to the porch.

"Okay." Laney drew out the word. "When are we going to go buy my dress? Cause you know how picky I am."

"Not today." The older girl answered absently as she started for the house.

"But the wedding is only twelve days away." The teenager protested.

"Laney." Mandy growled as she swung around to face the younger girl. "Right now I don't care if there is a wedding." She said through clenched teeth. Randy sighed as he felt Shawn slip back into the house. He pushed through the door as the distraught woman continued. "I want you to go home and leave me alone for a while."

Randy stepped aside as Mandy slammed into the house and Laney took off at a run down the driveway. "Think we should call Mark and warn him about what just happened?" He called to Jayden.

"Personally I think she needs an attitude adjustment." She responded.

He grinned. "She has kind of turned into a monster this year hasn't she?"

"Makes me glad I'm not her mother." She narrowed her eyes at him. "However I am the closest thing you have to one so spill. What are you doing here?"

Randy winced at the look she was giving him. "I need to talk to you." He answered cautiously as he began steering her toward his car.

She tried to dig in her heels. "Why can't we talk here?"

Ignoring her words he picked her up and placed her in the front seat of his car, slamming the door on her protests. She turned to glare at him when he climbed into the driver's side.

"This seems very familiar."

Randy grinned over at her as he started the car. "John said I needed to kidnap you so I am."

"And if John told you to jump off a bridge would you do that too?" She asked sarcastically.

"Actually he asked me to about three years ago and I did." He laughed at the look she sent him. "We were bungee jumping."

Jayden couldn't help but laugh. "So why am I being kidnapped this time?"

Ignoring the question Randy continued to drive. "So how was your trip, where ever you went?"

"It was personal Randy and I would say it went better than expected I guess." She answered turning to frown out the window.

"And it had nothing to do with the wedding?" He guessed.

"Randy." She growled warningly. "It has nothing to do with you so I suggest you forget about everything that just went on."

"That's fine with me but you might be interested to know that Shawn overheard everything too. Including the part where she said she didn't care if there even was a wedding." He told her gently.

She groaned as she slumped down in the seat. "She was just upset. She didn't mean anything by it."

"That may be but it's kinda obvious she's hiding something and that you're involved." Randy pointed out as he pulling into a restaurant parking lot. Shutting the car off he turned to look at her. "You seem to be pretty good at keeping secrets."

She raised her eyebrows. "So we're finally getting to the bottom of this little excursion."

"You and Dave have been pretty close lately." He said softly.

"Well we're both at a point in our careers where we can and we want to make it count." She pointed out. "He mentioned that he had dinner with you and John last night."

"No we had dinner; he sat there and played with his food." Randy corrected her. He looked up at her with worried eyes. "He didn't look that good."

She shrugged as she avoided his eyes. "Rehab's been difficult and he's not been eating like he should. He's lost some weight."

"Don't give me that bullshit." Randy exploded. "He looks anorexic and I know it's not just rehab." He paused for a minute. "I talked to his doctor."

Startled Jayden sat up. "You're lying. The doctor would not have told you anything. There's a thing called patient confidently."

Randy attempted his famous grin. "What can I say? I can be very charming." His smile faltered when she raised her eyebrows. "Something's really wrong with him." It was a statement not a question.

"Don't put me in this position Randy. If he wanted you to know he would tell you." She answered softly.

"Is it life threatening?" His voice came out as the merest whisper.

Jayden remained silent for the longest time. "We don't know anything right now."

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"Right now I don't care if there is a wedding." Shawn heard the growled words and stiffened in shock. Ignoring Randy's outstretched hand he slipped away from the door, not wanting the younger man's sympathy. He slipped out the back door, crossing the brown winter grass to the old barn he had converted into a work shop.

Locking the door against everyone else he stood staring blindly into the room. He searched his memory for clues that would tell him what had just occurred. It was obvious to him that Mandy had been scared and hurting. He felt an ache in his heart as he came to the realization that whatever had occurred she did not trust him to handle it for her. She did not love him enough to let him handle her problems. Angry that she would do this to him he struck out, intent on destroying something.

The wedding gift he had been making for his future wife lay in splinters at his feet, torn down as an outlet of his confusion and heartbreak. Now two hours later he worked feverously to recreate what he had destroyed. He was determined in both his love and his efforts to give Amanda Calloway something special. Somewhere she'd be able to keep her hopes, treasures, and yes her secrets.


	5. What's wrong?

Hi from hot and sunny Arizona. I am finally settled in my new place. Here's the first in hopefully a lot more chapters.

Happy reading

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Mark ran his hand through his hair before climbing out of his truck. He held the door open as he stared nervously at the building in front of him. He could hear the barking of numerous dogs coming from the back, and spotted a couple horses standing in a corral to the side.

Realizing he was standing there in the middle of the parking lot like an idiot he shut the door of his truck, pushing the button on his keys to engage the locks. Determinedly he put one foot in front of the other, heading for the front door of veterinary hospital, where he greeted the receptionist with a smile. He turned his back on the curious stares of the waiting pet owners.

"Is Sammie Hagan in?" He asked quietly.

Shrinking back a little from his sheer size she clicked a button on her computer. "Dr. Hagan's on a house call." The young girl answered.

Mark frowned. "Oh, um well she brought in my dog yesterday, um well the dog I decided to keep anyway and…" He trailed off flustered.

His embarrassment having eased her fear the receptionist leaned forward. "You're wondering if everything's okay?" At his nod she turned back to the computer. "What's the dog's name?"

"Umm Dusty."

"And your name?" She asked typing quickly.

"Mark Calloway." He supplied.

"Okay. He's in A4. Lisa was the tech that worked on him. I'll take you back and send her over. She can answer your questions." She stood up and walked to toward a door at the door at the back of the room.

Mark smiled his thanks, swallowing his disappointment. He followed her down a long hallway, past a room full of squalling cats, past a nursery where he stopped to gaze at new born puppies, and then into a room full of large ground level kennels.

She led him to the 4th cage down. "He's in here. Normally we would let you take him to a playroom but he's hocked to an IV for his antibiotics so he has to stay put."

Mark waited until she had left the room before kneeling down in front of the open door of the kennel. "Hey boy." He called quietly, reaching in to rub the dog behind his ears. The animal gave a soft woof before laying his head back down , his eyes already half closed.

"Looks like they fixed you up pretty good." Mark continued as he looked the dog over. There was a large white cast covering the left hind leg. The groves in his hindquarters were coated in some sort of gel, several had sutures placed. Mark was reaching in to pet the animal again when a voice spoke up behind him.

"You know, you really aren't supposed to pet an animal who's on rabies watch."

He jumped as the melodious tones washed over him. Turning he gazed up at the grinning vet. "I thought you were out on a call." He said frowning.

Sammie's eyebrows went up. "So you asked about me, did you?" She burst out laughing when he blushed.

Mark stood up, using his height to gain some control. HE shrugged. "You are the one that brought him in." He said trying to appear nonchalant.

She nodded knowingly. "Ok then. I'll just go finish my paperwork." She turned to go.

He reached out and grabbed her arm gently to keep her there, cursing himself silently while doing so. "Since you're here you might as well tell me what's go on with him."

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"So when are you going back home?" Randy asked as he pulled up in front of Shawn's house.

"My flight leaves in a couple hours. You?" Jayden asked reaching for the door handle.

He shook his head. "I've got an autograph signing in Tennessee." He turned to look at her. "Are you going to tell him about me coming down here?"

"What? That you talked to me about his health? I think he expected that." She gave a small grin. "Or that you flew down here and kidnapped me to demand answers?"

Randy winced. "Yeah, that part."

"I don't think he needs to know about that. He's got enough to worry about." She said sadly.

The younger man nodded somberly. "You're sure you can't tell me anything?"'

Jayden shook her head. "I promised him I wouldn't. But ask him again, keep on him about it." She instructed him before climbing out of the car.

Waving goodbye she watched him drive off before turning to enter the house. Finding the living room empty she walked toward the kitchen. There she found Mandy standing at the window with her arm's wrapped around herself.

"Are you okay?" The redhead asked as she crossed the room to her friend.

"Shawn's been in his work shop since we came home." Mandy said in a monotone.

"He's probably busy with some project." Jayden tried to reassure her.

Mandy shook her head. "The door's locked and when I tried, he wouldn't answer the door." She turned worried eyes on the older girl.

"I think he's a little hurt and probably confused right now." Jayden confessed as she looked out at the work shed.

The bride to be gave her a confused look. "He's not the one that had to face down that monster yesterday."

"He heard what you said to Laney." Jayden told her gently. "About not caring about the wedding."

Mandy groaned. "I was upset and she wouldn't stop chattering and I just wanted her to go away." She rubbed at her eyes.

"He probably has some questions about where we were yesterday, seeing as how we didn't buy anything for the wedding." The older girl prompted.

"Damn it." Mandy swore. "Can this day get any worse?" She turned back to her friend. "Would you go talk to him, make him understand?" She pleaded.

Jayden shook her head. "I don't think that would be a good idea. I'm the one that took his place when I went with you yesterday."

"But you would be able to make him understand everything." Mandy cried, slumping into a chair and hanging her head.

Jayden gave in, unwilling to see her friend to through anymore stress. "I'll have him take me to the airport." She agreed grudgingly. "I can only do so much with out telling him what happened." She warned.

Mandy nodded miserably.

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"So" Sammie grinned up at the big man as she walked him out to his truck. "I told you everything you need to know about your dog. We discussed my job, your job, the fact that you're a widow and I'm divorced. So when're you going to ask me out?" She asked, leaning on the side of the truck.

Mark had to grin at her spunk. "Haven't you ever heard that men like to do the asking?"

"Haven't you heard of woman's lib?" She shot back.

"Well now maybe I'm old fashioned." He drawled.

"And maybe I find that very sexy."

Mark grinned and was about to respond when his cell phone rang. "It's my daughter's ringtone." He said in way of explanation as he walked away.

"Is she okay?" She asked when he returned.

Mark shrugged as he shook his head. "She's having some kind of crisis." He answered as he leaned back against the truck.

"Shouldn't you be going to her?" Sammie asked in concern.

"She's 15, everything's a crisis now a days." He told her dryly.

She suppressed a laugh at the look on his face. "I don't know which is worse, a drama queen or my son who's so sullen I'm lucky if I get one word out of him a week."

"He's 14 right?"

"Yeah, and he eats, sleeps, and breathes video games." She grumbled.

"Are you free tomorrow night?" Mark asked abruptly.

Sammie's eyes began twinkling as she gazed up at him. "I'm on call for the Dorsey's mare so I might have to go deliver a foul at any time."

Mark shrugged. "Then we'll keep it simple and I'll cook you dinner."

Her eyes widened in surprise. "You can cook?"

"Won't you be surprised." He teased as his phone started ringing.

"You better go before she decides the only thing that'd fix her is a shopping spree." Sammie laughed at the look on his face.

Mark rolled his eyes. "I know something else that would fix her." He climbed in to the cab of his truck. "Tomorrow, seven o'clock." He called out the window as he backed out.

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John rang the doorbell of the big house before sticking his hands in his pockets self-consciously. Tapping his foot impatiently he waited for the door to open.

"You better only be here if you're willing to help." A harried voice called out as the door opened.

John looked up to see a disheveled Steph carrying one squalling toddler while the second clung to her leg. "I'm always willing to help." He said reaching down and swinging one of the twins into his arms.

"We had a little incident in the kitchen." She explained as she soothed her other child.

"Booboo." The little boy held up his burned finger.

"I see." John said gravely. "Did mama kiss it and make it better?"

"Many, many times." She assured him. She tilted her head. "Now while I appreciate your help I know you didn't come over here to baby sit."

John grinned unrepentenly as he handed the child he was holding over. "I need to see Paul.

"He's in his office." She jerked her head in the general direction as she juggled her kids.

Knocking on the afore mentioned door John walked in without waiting for an answer.

Paul held up his hand as he finished his phone conversation. Hanging up the phone he looked up to see John slumped into one of the chairs facing his desk. "What's wrong?" He barked.

"Now why do you assume something's wrong?" John asked playing innocent.

"Because you're here and you don't have Journey or Ari her to play with the boys. I would have heard the noise even in here." He explained at the younger man's look.

"We have a problem." John answered.

"We as in everyone or just you and Randy?" Paul asked dryly.

"Everyone, but Randy and I are the only ones that are aware of it." John admitted.

Paul just waited.

"Have you seen Dave lately?" He continued.

Paul frowned as he thought about it. "With the boys the days seem to blend together." He shook his head. "It's been awhile." He admitted.

"There's something more going on than rehab. He's sick, really ,really sick." John told him bluntly.

"He told you this?" The older man questioned.

"Nah, He's denied it, but it's obvious. He's pale, weak, and he's lost at east 20 pounds."

"He's not been able to work out. He's going to loose some of his muscle mass." Paul informed him.

John shook his head. "This is more than muscle mass. His eyes are sunk into his head, his cheekbones stand out. He's as pale as a ghost."

"Have you talked to Jayden?" Paul asked, sitting forward with concern written on his face.

"Randy went to go talk to her. She's in Texas right now." At Paul's expression he continued. "Don't blame Randy for anything. I encouraged him to fly down there." He said gruffly.

Paul decided to let it pass. "When did you see Dave?"

"Yesterday." John answered. "He'd been avoiding our calls. We finally got him to go out to lunch with us but he didn't eat anything." John shifted impatiently when Paul remained quiet. "So what are you going to do?" He burst out.

Paul shrugged thoughtfully. "What can we do? He obviously does not want us involved."

John stared at the older man in bewilderment. "How can you say that? If it was one of you'd beat us until we confessed." In his agitation he stood up and leaned over the desk threateningly.

"You're fixing to get a beating right now." Paul drawled.

John pressed his lips together to keep from voicing the words he had running through his head. Very deliberately he lifted his hands off the desk and, after giving the other man one more cold glare , stomped from the room.

Steph appeared in the doorway a couple minutes later.

"He didn't look happy." She commented.

"He's worried." Paul answered pensively. "Has Jayden said anything to you? About Dave?"

Steph hesitated. "She's worried about something but doesn't want to talk about it." She hedged.

"But…" Her husband prompted.

'She called me one night bawling. I could barely understand her but one word did stand out." She stopped unsure if she should go on.

"Steph." Paul growled.

"Cancer."


	6. anger issues

huuuumm cancer, does he have it or not. Guess you'll just have to wait and find out. Happy reading.

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Laney slammed the door to her room and flung herself onto her bed. She was angry, embarrassed, hurt, and a whole host of other emotions she couldn't put words too. One moment she felt like crying, the next destroying something.

Reaching under her mattress she pulled out her journal and opened it to her last entry. Wiping away her tears she read what she had written the day before.

_I was so excited today. We were supposed to go get my dress for the wedding. Yeah, I know we've had more than a year to pick it out but I've grown so much during this year, and not just in height, that we thought it would be best to wait. So now we've got less than two weeks. Aunt Mandy and I've had this shopping date for a month now. I have the dress in mind that I want. Mandy's color's are shades of blue. Jayden's dress is a royal blue while mine is going to be a few shades lighter. It's got spaghetti straps and goes all the way to the floor._

_But when I went to Shawn's house today to meet her she wasn't there. I was very confused. And even Shawn was confused which is weird because he lives with her. He said Jayden had flown down and they had gone out of town, I guess for something to do with the wedding. I'm trying not to be angry that she forgot about me. And I'm trying not to be jealous that she went away with Jayden and not me. It's not working too good._

Struggling not to cry she grabbed a pen and scribbled what had happened that morning.

_I am not trying to suppress my feelings anymore. I am hurt and sad and damnit I am angry. I went to Shawn's house to wait for Aunt Mandy to come home. I wanted to talk to her about yesterday. I was trying to be an adult about the situation. When they got back I was excited, asked a lot of questions, and I guess made a nuisance of myself. I didn't mean too. Mandy bit my head off, told me to mind my own business. She said she didn't want me around anymore and yelled at me to leave._

_This is the lady I've considered my mother for the last six years. And now she doesn't want me anymore. Am I that horrible?_

She stared at the words she had written for several minutes before she threw the journal across the room.

Mark chose that moment to knock on the door. Walking in he looked at the destruction she had wreaked. "Will I be risking my life if I ask what happened?"

"Just leave me alone." She pleaded in a quiet voice.

Mark did a double take, being so used to her sarcastic and defiant voice. "No, you called me , remember." He walked over and sat down next to her on the bed. "What happened?" He asked quietly, rubbing a hand down her back.

She shrugged not meeting his eyes.

Pursing his lips he tried another tack. "I thought you were going to talk to Mandy about your dress?"

Laney bit her lip as she struggled not to cry. "I'm not going to the wedding." She mumbled.

"That's a big decision. What did Mandy say about it?" Mark asked gently. He knew he was treading on fragile ground.

"It was her decision." Came the muffled reply as the teenager buried her head in the comforter.

"What'd you do?" Mark asked, immediately regretting his words.

She looked up at him with an incredulous look. "Get out." She screeched.

Mark sighed as she pierced his ear drums. "Now just calm down. I didn't mean that like it sounded."

"Every thing's always my fault. So why wouldn't this be?" She mumbled as she began sobbing.

Mark looked helplessly at his daughter. "Why'd you have to turn into a teenager." He grumbled to himself, causing her to choke on a laugh. He waited until she had calmed down before he tried again. "You want to tell me what's wrong?"

She shrugged as she wiped her eyes. "Let's just put it down to the fact I'm on my period."

Mark cringed, causing her to giggle. "I don't need to know that." He kissed the top of her head. "You going to be okay?"

She nodded as tears welled up in her eyes.

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"I really appreciate you driving me to the airport." Jayden said quietly as she glanced over at the solemn man.

"No big deal. Didn't really want to stay at the house anyway." He stared blindly at the road in front of him.

Jayden closed her eyes as she silently cursed her friend. "Am I being intrusive if I ask why you wanted out of the house?" She ventured.

"Yes." He answered bluntly, shooting her a look. The silence hung heavy between them for several minutes.

"Where did the two of you go yesterday?" Shawn demanded suddenly, the loudness of his voice causing her to jump.

"I'm not the person you need to be asking." She answered, quietly turning to stare out the window.

"You were there with her weren't you?" He demanded, slapping the steering wheel.

"I can't tell you her secrets." She announced, turning to stare calmly at him.

"How else am I supposed to find out?" He grumbled. "We're supposed to get married in two months."

"You could try asking her." She offered.

He shot her a look. "Do you really think she would answer me?"

Jayden sighed. "No." She replied truthfully. "She's not doing this to hurt you."

"I just feel so helpless. How am I supposed to help her get through this, how am I supposed to support her if she doesn't tell me what's gong on?" He pleaded with her.

Jayden bit her lip. "She's very uncomfortable with the subject."

"I know that this has to do something with what happened to her at the hospital where she used to work. I'm not stupid." He said in an angry voice.

"Some things a woman can't talk about." She stated tactfully.

"Not even with her husband?"

"Especially not with her husband." She said trying to tell him with her eyes.

He was silent as he negated the heavy traffic. "If she won't tell me the details and you won't tell me, how the hell am I supposed to do anything?"

She closed her eyes. "I didn't tell you this but it might be a good idea to read old newspapers about what happened." She said quietly.

"That's a good idea, thanks." Shawn said gratefully.

Jayden held up her hand. "I don't want to talk about this anymore, except to tell you to be patient with her, and just be there okay."

He turned back to her as he was pulling into the parking lot. "Randy mentioned something about Dave?" he started hesitantly.

"Randy has a big mouth." She answered sourly.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked quietly, hearing the pain in her voice.

She shook her head. "I need to get home to him." She said simply as she climbed out of the car.

He caught her hand before she could shut the door. "If either of you need us all you have to do is call."

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"Mr. Orton. We'll be ready for you in a couple minutes." The arena manager said, sticking his head through the door.

Randy nodded his thanks as he resumed pacing around the small office. Normally he didn't have a problem with autograph sessions, but he couldn't get the conversation with Jayden out of his head.

His pacing was interrupted by the ringing of his phone. "Hello?" he answered, not wanting to talk to anyone.

"What the hell did you find out?" John's angry voice came over the line.

"Nice to talk to you too." Randy replied dryly.

"Stop the shit man. What did she say?" The angry voice demanded.

"Nothing." The younger man answered in disgust. "There's something going on and she's worried but she said she couldn't tell us. Dave has to be the one to tell us."

"That's bullshit." The other man burst out angrily. "We have a right to know."

Randy couldn't help but laughing a little. "I agree with you but where is this anger coming from?"

"I have a right to be angry."

"I didn't say you didn't. I'm just wandering why." Randy tried to keep his voice calm.

"I went to see Paul today." The other man admitted grudgingly.

"I take it the conversation didn't go so well." He guessed.

"He didn't even know anything was going on. Said he'd been too busy with the boys to notice." John spat out.

"We've all been too busy to notice." Randy pointed out. "Why are you so mad at him?"

"He's not concerned at all, no matter how much I told him. And he isn't planning on doing anything about it."

Randy remained silent, unsure what to say.

"Don't you get it man. Paul was the one person who could force Dave to tell us what was going on." John said almost desperately.

"I think I would rather wait until Dave trusted us enough to tell us himself." Randy offered.

There was silence on the other end of the line. "Wow. That was a very grown up thing to say." John said finally.

Randy shrugged. "Yeah well don't' spread it around." The younger man said. "You're taking this awful hard." He added wen John failed to laugh at his comment. He could hear his friend swallowing hard.

"I've got a large family and they are all healthy and whole. I've got an even larger family up here with Dave and Mark, you and Journey." He was silent for a couple minutes. "I've never had anyone close to me get sick before."

"It's hard but you can't let it show this much. Knowing you're upset just makes it harder for the person whose sick."

"It's different for you man. You've already lost so much. It's easier for you to be calm." John said without thinking.

"Trust me buddy. I'm not calm at all." Randy murmured.

One hour later he sat at the autograph table, the line in front of him slowly shortening as he signed picture after picture. His cheeks hurt from having to force himself to smile.

"You look like you don't want to be here." a soft voice washed over him.

He looked up to see two females smiling at him, the petite blond holding a picture to be signed. "Just got a lot on my mind." He answered the leggy brunette as he smiled up at both girls.

"You have something you want me to sign?" he asked her looking up into her deep brown eyes. "Maybe a body part?"

She gave a short sarcastic laugh. "No thanks. I'm just here to support my friend. I'm not a wrestling fan."

"That's too bad." He murmured as he watched her walk off.


	7. Terror

Thanks to everyone who reviewed. I really appreciate it. Happy reading.

The next day.

Mandy watched Shawn drive off before closing the door and snapping the lock shut. She stared at the door for several minutes before heading for the kitchen. Once there she let out a long sigh of relief to find that door also locked.

Next she went from window to window, making sure every entry to the first floor was securely barred. She took comfort in the bright sunshine that lighted up the otherwise shadow darkened areas.

Sitting down on the couch she forced herself to relax. "This is crazy." She admonished herself as her heart raced. She felt herself break out in a cold sweat as she remembered the long porch and how easy it was to climb to the second story.

Terrified she raced up the stairs, her heart stopping at the sight of the open window. She slammed it shut and clicked the lock in place. Slowly she did a systematic search of each room, whimpering each time she opened a new door. Somewhere along the way she had picked up one of Shawn's baseball bats.

Seeing someone out of the corner of her eye she screamed, swinging the bat into the mirror attached to the closet door. Glass shattered as she realized it was her own reflection. Her weak laugh ended on a sob as she looked at the mess on the floor.

She pulled the wastebasket over and began picking up the pieces of glass, oblivious to the dripping blood as the sharp edges cut her fingers. Tears were pouring down her face as she silently cursed every man on earth.

The persistent knocking on the front door brought her out of her thoughts and had her jumping in fear. Shaking her head she looked down at the blood covered floor. Wincing at the sight in front of her she grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her hand.

Realizing someone was still at the door she crept down the stairs. She could see the outline of someone through the beveled glass and recognizing the sight she let out her breathe in an explosion. She knew only one person who could be that tall. Being careful of the cuts to her hands she unlocked the door and eased it open, not willing to take chances.

Mark's irritated frown slid away in bewilderment as he caught sight of her. "What the hell happened to you?" He demanded as he pushed the door open all the way.

Motioning for him to be quiet she shot a look out the door before slamming it closed.

"Mandy." He growled, grabbing her arms. "What happened?"

"Nothing." She mumbled as she drifted towards the kitchen. He followed her impatiently.

"Your hands are bleeding."

She shrugged as she sat down at the table, her eyes sliding to the lock on the back door. "Glass broke." She offered absently.

Grim faced he jerked her up and marched her to the sink. "What's wrong with you? You're sitting there bleeding everywhere, you have that scared rabbit look, and you act like you're waiting for someone to attack you." He trailed off as he remembered her showing up on his doorstep six years ago with the same look on her face.

"Is someone here?" He asked grabbing her arms. "Did someone hurt you?"

She put her hand to his chest to keep him from shaking her. "Only you." She said gently, feeling more in control in the face of his concerns.

He frowned, letting go of her. "Then what happened?"

She turned to the sink as she began washing the cuts on her hands. "I got a little spooked and broke some glass. It's nothing."

Mark looked around the room suspiciously. "Where's Shawn? Did he hit you?"

She turned to him with an astonished look. "You're kidding right? Shawn would never hurt me." She shook her head at her brother. "He got a call this morning asking him to fill in for an autograph sighing."

"So you were alone?" He asked still suspicious.

"All alone, windows and doors locked." She told him.

He didn't say anything as she applied band aids to the cuts on her hands. "So I guess you're here about Laney?" She asked after a while.

He raised his eyebrows. "Want to tell me why I had a hysterical teenager on my hands yesterday?"

She winced. "Yeah, I was having a bad day. And I took it out on her." She could feel his gaze boring into her back as she put the first aid kit away.

"You've been having a lot of bad days lately."

She shrugged. "A lot going on." She said not meeting his eyes.

"And I don't' suppose it has anything to do with what happened to you six years ago?" He probed gently.

She stiffened. "What do you know about it?" She asked harshly.

"Not much." He admitted as she relaxed again. "I know someone hurt you very badly and that in less than two weeks you're going to have to put a large amount of trust in Shawn by marrying him. That can be very hard."

She smiled slightly. "I'm not scared of Shawn. He would never hurt me."

"But maybe the wedding's bringing up some bad memories." he persisted.

"He got paroled." She said suddenly, shocked that she had said anything. "The monster that hurt me is out on the streets. Look at me." She held out her shaking hands. "It's only been two days and I'm jumping at shadows."

Mark gathered his sister into his arms. "Oh baby. I'm sorry."

She curled into his body, savoring the protection he offered.

"Why would Shawn leave you here alone?" He asked , his voice soft despite the anger in it.

She pulled back to look up at him, her eyes beseeching. "He doesn't know. Any of it." She stressed.

Mark took a minute to precess the information. "It's wrong." He said finally.

She shrugged. "So I've been told."

"Well look. You can't stay here by yourself. Come over to the house, at least until Shawn gets back."

She gave it serious thought as she stared at the locked door. Finally she shook her head. "I'll be okay. I don't think Laney's ready to see me yet. Besides I heard you have a hot date tonight."

His head whipped up at her words. "How'd you hear that?"

She shrugged, a smile playing on her lips. "Word gets around. Specially when you make a fool of yourself at the vet." She told him.

"I wasn't acting like a fool." He grumbled. "I got a date didn't I, cooking for her too."

Mandy raised her eyebrows, laughing at his expression. "What are you making?"

"The tender most steak you've ever eaten." He bragged.

She couldn't resist teasing him. "Are you sure she isn't a vegetarian?"

His mouth dropped open in shock. "Why the hell would she be a vegetarian? We're in Texas!"

"She's new to the area." Mandy couldn't resist pointing out. "I'm sure it'll be okay." She comforted him. "Just make a big salad."

"Well hell."

123456789123456789

Later that night

Mark banged into the door as he struggled to get it open with his hands full. Finally manging to turn the knob he kicked it the rest of the way in. Spotting his daughter at the table he growled. "You could have let me in."

"I don't believe you're making those steaks for me." She answered, not bothering to look up from her homework.

"What are you still doing here anyway?" He asked as he began putting the grocery's away. "I thought you were going over to Leslie's?"

"I wanted to get this done first." she shrugged. "Besides I don't really feel like going."

Mark stopped what he was doing. "Oh no you don't. We had this conversation this morning. You said you would go."

She shrugged again.

He came around the table so that he stood in front of her. "Baby girl do you have a problem with me dating again?"

She looked up at him for the first time, her eyes watering. "How could you do this to me daddy? How can you just replace mom like that?" She cried.

Mark was taken aback by her words. Never had she given him a reason to believe she would have a problem.

She laughed at the look on his face. "Relax. I was just playing with you."

His jaw locked with anger. "That wasn't very nice."

She shrugged. "I don't' appreciate being kicked out of my house so you can have sex with your new girl friend."

Mark could feel his face turning red but didn't know if it was from anger or embarrassment. "I'm not going to be having...This is not a conversation I want to be having with you." He nearly shouted. He struggled to calm his voice down. "This morning I asked if you would mind going to a friend's tonight. You said it was fine." He held up his hand when she started to speak. "I don't know what's changed since then but if you don't check the attitude then you can go to Mandy's tonight and in the morning we will have a serous talk. And I think you know what that means."

She rolled her eyes at him. "I'm too old for a spanking."

He leaned over the table at her. "You think so?"

Seeing the look in his eye she hastily piled up her books. "I'll be at Leslie's." She said before rushing out of the room.


	8. Fear and Love

Hey all, I know it's been forever. I have been doing a lot of writing, just not on this story. I am working on a Ncis story but I'm not going to post anything until it's done. I've also been going over some of my first stories. My writing style had matured and so I'm trying to update them a little. Not changing the storyline but adding little bits, fleshing out the story a little. Look for an updated version of The Lie soon. Anyway, on to this story. I didn't name this Lonestar Love for nothing. Enjoy.

* * *

The light was fading as Mandy walked from window to window, keeping a watch over the yard. Shadows were gathering in the house causing her to shy away from the gloomy corners. Trembling in fear of the dark she moved to switch on a light only to find herself illuminated to the outside world. Fearing she might be seen she hurried to flick the lever, bathing the room in darkness once again.

Pacing from door to window and back again she concentrated on breathing evenly as her heart raced and her skin became clammy. Frequently she felt herself become dizzy and would have to grab a table to steady herself.

Realizing it wasn't even full dark yet and that she had a long way to go to survive the night she reviewed her options only to come up empty. She had no excuse to offer friends, all of which were married with small children. Nor could she bear the thought of interrupting the first date her brother's had since he lost his wife. This whole thing was threatening her life to essentially end; she would not let it destroy anyone else's.

"I can stay by myself. I will be strong. I will be brave." She whispered determinedly, jumping as a strong breeze rattled the screen door. Nerves stretched to the breaking point she laid her head against the cool glass and broke down crying.

* * *

"Hey girl. I was beginning to think you weren't coming." Leslie said, looking up as Laney walked into the bedroom.

She shrugged as she sat her overnight bag down. "I wanted to make sure my dad was going to be okay. It's weird to think he's dating after all this time."

The other girl waved her concerns away. "I have some very good news for you."

Laney laughed as her friend bounced on the bed in excitement. "That usually means we're going to get in trouble."

"Well that depends. What did you say to my mom when you came in?" Leslie asked.

"Just that I'm here to see you. Didn't you tell her I was staying the night?" The blonde asked, concern showing in her eyes.

"No, actually she thinks we're staying at Tammy's." Leslie stated triumphantly.

Laney raised her eyebrows. "And where are we actually going to be?"

"The three of us are going to a party at John's. Almost the entire high school's going to be there." She landed on the floor with a thud. "What'd you bring to wear?" She threw over her shoulder as she rushed to her closet.

Laney followed her. "Do you think Jared's going to be there?" She asked trying to be casual.

Leslie popped out with a wide smile on her face. "I know for a fact that he's looking forward to seeing you." She replied knowingly as she held up a pink top. "This would look perfect on you."

Laney dismissed the top after one look. "My dad would kill me if her ever saw me in that." She pushed the belly bearing top back at her friend.

"But that's the point. He's not going to be seeing you tonight is her?" Leslie persisted. "And it would be the perfect shirt to show off the new belly ring you got."

Laney covered her face as she fell back onto the bed. "I can't believe I let you talk me into getting that. "

"Relax, as long as you're careful your dad will never know." She grinned evilly. "Next is a tattoo."

Laney shook her head violently. "Nope, no way. That I will not do."

"How about piercing your tongue?" Came the muffled question as the other girl once again submerged herself in the closet.

"How am I supposed to hide that from my father?" She called after her.

Leslie emerged with an armload of clothes. "There's probably going to be beer at this party. A lot of the seniors are going to be there and someone mentioned a keg."

"How do you know all this stuff?" Laney asked in amazement as she rifled trough the pile of clothes.

"Honey high school is noting but a gossip chain. You really should come to school with us. You're missing out on so much by being home schooled."

Laney shrugged self consciously. "I've thought about it. But I've got so much freedom right now. I can take off whenever I want to."

Leslie took her friend by the arms. "Laney there are boys in school. That's all that matters right now." She grinned as she held up a short skirt. "What do you think about wearing this tonight?"

Laney grinned shyly. "Actually I brought my really tight jeans. They would probably look good with that shirt. And if I could barrow your high heeled sandals?"

Leslie squealed as she threw her arms around her friend.

* * *

Mandy huddled under the covers shaking with fright. Every bump and creak the old house gave caused her to whimper in terror. And yet she strained her ears for every sound, desperate to know what was happening. In her hands she caressed the cold metal of the 9mm Glock Shawn kept hidden in the closet.

Two beams of light flashed through the window causing her to dive over the side of the bed. Sounds of a car coming up the driveway reached her ears and she crawled to the window. Her breath caught in her throat as she strained her eyes to see through the penetrating darkness.

She whirled around to stare at the bedroom door as she picked up noises in the kitchen below. "It was locked. It was locked." The words ran through her head like a train as she heard the back door close. Backing into a corner she frantically sought somewhere to hide.

Her heart was beating so hard she thought it was going to pop out of her chest and nausea threatened to overwhelm her. Her breathe heaved and her back felt bruised from pushing against the wall. The loud sound of a cupboard closing caused the gun to slip from her clammy hands.

Diving to the floor she struggled to regain control of the weapon as heavy foot steps pounded up the stairs. Clamping her hands firmly over the grip she raised it up as the bedroom door creaked open.

"I won't let you hurt me again." She shouted.

"Mandy?" Shawn called warily as he paused on the other side of the door.

She stared in horror at the gun in her hands, her finger twitching over the trigger. Her body began shaking uncontrollably as she realized how close to the edge she was. Horrified, unable to stand the feel of the terrible weapon any longer she slid it under the bed as Shawn finished pushing the door open.

"Are you okay?" He asked watching her carefully.

She pressed her lips together as she struggled not to cry. "I didn't expect you home tonight." She said sidestepping his question.

"I pushed the speed limit to get back here." He answered standing uneasily at the foot of the bed with his hands shoved in his pockets. "I didn't want to leave you alone tonight." He added.

She nodded miserably. "I appreciate that."

"You, uh, want to tell me what's going on?"

"I'm so scared. I feel like I can't function anymore." She whispered dejectedly.

He waited but she seemed unable to go on. "Would you be mad if I told you I know everything?" He asked, moving to sit on the bed in front of her.

She shook her head as her eyes watered. "Are you mad at me for not telling you?"

"Oh honey, no." He reached out to gather her in his arms. "I was hurt then when I realized….." He trailed off as he was overcome with emotion. "It must have been so hard for you." He continued after clearing his throat.

She leaned into his strong chest. "I was so embarrassed and so scared."

He pulled back from her slightly. "Mandy honey. You don't ever have to be scared of me. We don't have to do anything you don't want to do. I don't want you to feel like I'm pressuring you."

She smiled at him as her eyes began watering again. "Shawn you're the best thing that's every happened to me. I have never been scared of you." She leaned more firmly into his chest. "I need you to make me feel safe tonight."

He responded by trailing feather light kisses down the side of her face. "I just don't want to bring up any bad memories."

"You're the only one that's ever been able to make them go away." She ran her hands up his chest before gently pushing him down onto the bed.

He raised his eyebrows. "I think we're a little overdressed for this occasion don't you?" He asked as he pulled off the bulky sweater she was wearing to reveal her firm white breasts encased in black lace. Reaching behind her he unsnapped the bra with a flick of his wrist, and after sliding the straps down his arm, took the offered nipple into his mouth. She gave a soft moan as she leaned down to nibble on his ear.

They were both breathing heavily when Shawn dragged his shirt over his head. She took the opportunity to slide her pants off before leaning back down, reveling in the feel of her skin against his warm bare chest.

* * *

Laney wandered uneasily around the crowded room. Her friends had wandered off with their current boyfriends the moment they had arrived leaving her alone in a sea of strangers. Smiling gamely approached a group of girls and introduced her self.

Two hours later she stepped onside and dropped onto the first step. Wrapping her arms around her legs she laid her head on top of her raised knees. She hadn't realized how lonely her living style had made her, nor how standoffish teenagers were.

"Laney, I'm glad you could come."

She looked up at Tammy's older brother, her heart pounding harder as she stared into his bright green eyes. "Jared, hi."

"What are you doing out here all alone?" He asked, taking a seat beside her and handing her one of the cups he was holding.

She hesitated only slightly before accepting the glass of amber colored liquid. "I don't know a lot of people in there." She answered shrugging self consciously.

"You know me. That should be all the counts." He teased her as he finished his own beer in one big gulp.

She hid her smile in her cup as she took a tentative sip. "Everyone knows you Jared."

"True. Listen I need a refill and I think they have some nacho's in there somewhere." He said standing up.

She hid her disappointment by taking another, larger sip.

"Why don't you come with me, I can introduce you around." She looked up to see him holding out his hand for her. Giving him her empty hand she let him pull her up, her heart stopping as he bent down to press a soft kiss to her mouth.

"Lets go have fun."

* * *

Sammie threw back her head as Mark licked the succulent skin there. "You know, I usually don't do this kind of thing on a first date." She gasped.

"Trust me, I won't hold it against you." He murmured as his hands worked diligently at the buttons on her shirt. Behind them a fire burned low, adding a magical quality to the low lit room.

Letting him slide her shirt off her shoulders she tugged at his own clothes, as anxious as he was to feel bare skin.

"Maybe we should move to the bedroom." He managed on a groan as her nails raked a path along his ribs.

"Maybe we should." She agreed leaning up to capture his mouth.

They both groaned as an insistent beeping reached their ears.

She reached over and snapped her beeper off the table, frowning as she read the message. "I need to go."

"Just a few more minutes?" He pleaded playfully as he snagged her around the waist.

"I warned you this would happen." She said once they had broken apart. She began straightening her clothes. "Just as well. I don't usually act like this, especially on a first date."

"We can pick it up on the second date." He suggested giving her a heavy eyed look.

She laughed as she shook her head at him.


	9. The morning after

I apologize for the long wait. Happy reading.

* * *

The next morning, Saturday

"Okay man. You know that we have to do something right?"

Randy was dragged from his thoughts as John sat down across from him. "About what?" He asked confused by the intense look on his friend's face. His stomach clenched, knowing that the subject was going to be something he really didn't want to hear.

"About Dave." John stared at the younger man, exasperated.

"Would you give it up already.. I don't think we have too many options right now." He answered, shrugging. He attempted to turn the volume up on the TV.

"Don't you want to know what's wrong with him?" John asked as he got up to pace. He couldn't believe his friend was being so blasé about this.

"What good would it do for us to know? We're not doctors, we can't change what's happening to him." Randy rubbed his hands down his face, hating the feeling of panic that coursed through his body.

"What about emotional support? Isn't that what families do?" The other man persisted, pausing to slap a hand against the wall.

"Dave knows we're here and that he's got all the support he could ever want. But right now he doesn't want it. We have to ask ourselves if maybe we're causing him more stress by pressing him on this."

John stopped his pacing to stare at his friend in shock. "Who the hell are you?"

Randy shrugged self consciously.

"Aren't you the same guy that Dave busted a couple years ago for not confiding in his family that he was sick? Wasn't his main reason for being mad the amount of worry you caused everyone?" John persisted, his eyes lighting up as he hit upon a strategy.

Randy smiled slightly as he acknowledged John's point. "Okay, what do you want to do?" He asked giving in.

"We've talked to just about everyone who has any kind of power over Dave right?" He waited until Randy had nodded. "Not everyone." He announced triumphantly.

His friend stared at him in confusion for a minute before realization dawned. He groaned. "Just for the record, I think this is a very bad idea."

"But you are in?" John pressed.

Randy sighed. "Yeah."

* * *

"Good morning."

Mandy opened her eyes slowly, smiling as she stretched newly relaxed muscles. Turning her head she spotted a somber Shawn sitting in the bedside chair. "Good morning." She replied as she slowly sat up.

"How are you feeling?" He asked in a deep voice, watching her with intense but concerned eyes.

Seeing how worried he appeared she reached over and grabbed his hand. "I feel loved and cherished and protected." She started to climb out of bed and was stopped when he leaned over, pushing her back down.

"We need to talk."

She grimaced at the stern look on his face. "I thought we did last night."

He was already shaking his head. "We didn't even scratch the surface and you know it." He leaned forward. "Why didn't you tell me how scared you were?" He demanded.

"I was too embarrassed…" She started.

He waved her words away. "You could have made something up. Just to let me know that you didn't want to be alone." He sighed. "Something, I don't know."

"I wasn't that scared." She tried to defend herself. Her voice trailed off as he silently held up the gun he had retrieved from under the bed. She froze as images from the night before flashed through her head. "Okay," She admitted. " I was pretty scared."

His lips twitched at the look on her face. "How close did you come to shooting me?"

She held up her hands in front of her. "I wouldn't have actually pulled the trigger."

"Honey, I saw the look on your face. Your finger was twitching." Shawn's eyes narrowed as he looked at her. "What did you do to your hands?" He demanded as he drew the extremities to him.

She looked startled, having forgotten about the injuries. "Oh I broke the mirror in the bathroom." she admitted, her breath catching as he gently kissed each scratch.

"You need to be more careful." He admonished softly. "So are you planning to spend the day in bed with me?"

She grinned as she sat back up in the bed. "Does this mean that we're done talking about this?"

His lips twitched again. "Well now that depends. Are you willing to admit that you were wrong to keep this whole mess from me and that you would have been better off if you had confided everything to me sooner?"

Mandy laughed outright as she rolled her eyes. "At the chance of inflating your ego even more than it already is, yes I should have told you." She climbed out of bed and leaned over to kiss him gently on the lips. "Thank you."

­

* * *

"Hey babe." John said into the phone as he paced around the room.

"Don't call me that." Journey grumbled on the other end of the line. "Why do you insist on calling me that when you know how it irritates me?"

"Damn girl, I didn't know you were having your monthly thing." He responded sarcastically.

"Are you saying I'm being bitchy?" She asked in a controlled voice.

"If the shoe fits." John replied flippantly. He sighed when she hung up the phone without responding. Hitting the redial button he waited impatiently while the phone rang.

"Listen I'm sorry." He said when she finally answered. "I'm just really stressed out right now."

Journey remained silent, not willing to forgive him so easily.

"We're going to talk to Vince about Dave, see if he can do something or tell us something." He continued.

She chewed on her lip as she thought about it. "Why are you doing this?" She asked finally.

He resisted the urge to slam his fist into the wall. "Why do you think? I'm concerned and want to help him. What's with you and Randy? He's the closest thing either of you have to a father and you're acting like you don't want to know." He was yelling by the time he finished.

"Why are you doing this?" She asked again, her voice no more than a whisper.

He was silent for several minutes, breathing heavily into the phone as he tried to gain control. "I just feel so helpless. I can't do anything about the issues between you an Ari. I need to focus on something. And maybe if I help Dave I can gain some of the ground I've lost with you."

"You know Ari and I wouldn't have problems if you would back me up every once in a while. Every time I tell her to do something she runs to you and you undermine my authority." She answered tiredly.

"How am I suppose to know when you tell her something?" he asked exasperated.

"You could ask her, or better yet you could ask me." She replied.

He sighed. "I just don't understand why she's acting like this."

"She has no respect for me. I'm just your live in lover." Journey replied somewhat bitterly.

"You're more than that, how can you think otherwise?" He demanded somewhat desperately.

"You tell me."

* * *

"So how'd the big date go last night?" Mandy asked as she entered her brother's kitchen.

"It got interrupted." He answered frowning into his coffee.

She began laughing. "That is one pitiful face."

Mark frowned up at her "And why are you in such a good mood?" He narrowed his eyes as he looked her over. "I take it Shawn came home last night."

She narrowed her own eyes. "Just because you didn't get any last night doesn't mean the rest of us didn't." She laughed as he growled low in his throat. "Anyway I need to mend some fences. Is Laney upstairs?" She didn't wait for his answer before she headed up the stairs.

"Laney?" She called, knocking on the door. "Can I come in and talk?"

"Sure." The teenager replied. "Are you feeling better?" She asked.

"What do you mean?" The older girl asked cautiously as she sat down at the desk.

"You were different the other day." Laney replied slowly, sitting on the bedside so that she faced her aunt. "I know that I can be an obnoxious brat sometimes but usually you're very patient."

Mandy laughed as she shook her head. "Sometimes I swear you are two different people. But you're right. I wasn't acting like myself. I had received some bad news and wasn't sure how to tell Shawn." She was silent for a couple minutes. "And I was scared." She added quietly.

"Did you get it all worked out? I mean there is still going to be a wedding right?" The younger girl asked quietly. "It's not ruined completely?"

Mandy smiled. "Yes there is still going to be a wedding. Which means we have to go shopping. We still need to find your dress and between the two of us it's going to take the full week and half we have left."

Laney's eyes brightened. "Yeah, shopping! What are we waiting for?" She jumped off the bed, reaching for her shoes.

Her aunt held up her hand. "Just a minute. There's something else I need to talk to you about."

Laney sighed but sat back down, barely resisting the urge to roll her eyes. "What'd I do now?"

"Shawn came home late last night. He said he saw something interesting as he was driving toward the house."

Laney looked at her expectantly, not yet understanding.

""Where'd you go last night?" Her aunt prodded gently.

"Daddy kicked me out because of his date so I went to Leslie's." She answered warily, an inkling of alarm going off in the back of her head.

"So that wasn't you at the party drinking what appeared to be a beer and kissing a boy?" Mandy pressed.

"Oh." Laney whispered as her eyes got wide.

"Yeah oh. Care to explain?" Mandy asked gently.

"I didn't know about the party until I got to Leslie's. Someone handed me the beer and I hardly drank any of it. I don't even really remembered how I got it. And oh my gosh that was Jared I was kissing." She answered in a rush.

Mandy laughed at the expression on her face. "I take it Jared is cute?"

The younger girl got a sappy look on her face as she nodded drunkenly.

She shook her head, still laughing. "Oh Laney honey, what am I going to do with you?"

"You aren't going to tell daddy are you?" She asked turning on her puppy dog eyes. "He would kill me if he knew I was kissing a boy.

"I should." Mandy frowned thoughtfully. "But I didn't actually see you doing it, and it's second hand information. But I'm not speaking for Shawn." She continued quickly when the younger girl squealed and threw her arms around her aunt. "And no more drinking you understand?" She hesitated for a minute. "Laney are you sexually active?"

"Aunt Mandy that was my first real kiss." The teenager stated in exasperation.

"Okay, but sometimes kisses can lead to a lot more really fast." Mandy tried to be delicate. "I just want you to be protected."

"You want me to go on the pill?" Laney asked in astonishment.

"I just think it might be a good idea." Mandy cautioned.

"Daddy would freak." Laney was already shaking her head.

"There are some things fathers do not need to know."

A little later

"Daddy, we're going shopping." Laney called out as she ran down the stairs.

Mark got up to join them in the hall. "What time do you think you're going to be back?" He asked.

She shrugged as she looked up at Mandy. "I don't know. We have a lot we have to get done."

"Oh." He said trying to hide his disappointment. "I was figuring I could give you a driving lesson later."

The teenager shrugged. "I was planning to spend the night at Shawn's so we could get more done on the wedding plans." She told him as she grabbed her coat out of the closet.

"I thought you were all fired up about being able to drive." He pointed out.

She rolled her eyes. "Maybe Mandy will let me drive to the mall." She called as she sailed out the door.

Mandy looked apologetically at her brother. "I didn't know you wanted to spend time with her the afternoon."

He shrugged, not meeting her eyes. "I just felt kind of bad about kicking her out last night."

She put a hand on his shoulder. "They grow up too fast."

He silently agreed as he watched them drive off."

* * *

Randy dragged his feet as he approached the group in the hall. He could understand John's reasoning for being here and shared some of his concerns. But the other man didn't understand that Dave was keeping his secret because he knew how his 'children' felt. Randy could admit to himself that when he thought too much about what could be wrong he became really scared. He couldn't lose another member of his family.

"Randy" John called down the hall as he spotted his friend. "Come on, I brought reinforcements."

"I can see that." Randy replied as he eyed he three other men. Shelton and Greg Helms had been kind of like second cousins in their family group and so he understood their presence. Glancing over he frowned at the third man. Carlito was in no way part of their group and could not be trusted to keep this a secret. Turning he glared at John. "Let's get this over with."

John grinned slightly before turning and knocking on the door.

"Come in." Vince's deep voice called out.

Randy shook his head as he followed the group into the small office, keeping to the back wall. He didn't know if he wanted to be associated with this.

"What can I do for you gentlemen?" The CEO asked.

John glanced at the other man before starting. "We are concerned about a fellow wrestler's health and are not sure how to proceed."

Vince sat back in his chair, a blank expression on his face. "I assume you're talking about Dave."

John nodded slowly. "He doesn't look good, but he won't tell us anything. Have you talked to him?"

"I've kept up to date on his rehab. I know that it's going to be longer than we orginally thought before he can come back." The older man answered carefully.

"What does that mean?" Greg asked, a confused expression on his face.

"It means that while I understand that you are concerned, you won't get answers from me." He answered firmly.

"I believe I've already told him that." Paul said as he stepped into the doorway. He aimed a look at John, shaking his head when the younger man turned around to glare at him.

This is bullshit." He exploded at he glanced between the two men. Seeing the stone like expressions on their faces he turned and stormed out of the office, his two cohorts filing out after. Randy slowly followed, his gaze never leaving Paul's face.

Once the door closed behind them Paul dropped heavily into a chair facing the desk. "Randy's taking this hard."

"He doesn't know it but John is just making this harder for him. It's unusual for him to be so single minded about this." Vince added his input.

Paul sighed. "Steph thinks him and Journey are having problems. Maybe he's avoiding that issue by attacking this one." He was silent for a couple minutes. "I'll call Mark, see if he could talk to him."

Vince blew out his breath. "So do you know any more than they did?"

Paul shook his had slowly.


	10. What's the problem?

As promised here is the next chapter. Thanks to everyone reading even after the long update. Happy reading.

* * *

Saturday afternoon

"What about this one?" Laney asked, holding up a dress.

Mandy pursed her lips. "I don't know. I think it may be a little too revealing." She plucked at the bodice, frowning at the low cut vee.

The teenager tried not to roll her eyes at her aunt's old fashioned attitude. "Can I at least try it on?" She asked pouting a little. "Just to see what it looks like?"

Her aunt reluctantly agreed. "You can try it on for fun but don't get too attached to it. Your dad would burn it the moment he saw it." She waited a couple minutes as they browsed. "You know speaking of your dad, I think he felt kind of guilty about throwing you out of the house last night."

Laney shrugged as she continued to rifle through the rack. Her feelings for her dad where a touchy subject right now, and she didn't want to ruin her good mood from shopping.

"You know it natural not to want your dad dating. You've had him to yourself for a while now." She continued, trying to remain casual. She peeked over the rack, sighing inwardly at the remote look Laney was wearing.

"What do you think about this one?" The younger girl asked instead, pulling a dress off the rack. She held the dress up to her body, twirling so that the material flared out.

Mandy forced herself to examine the dress."I like the cut and material but the color is a little off." she bumped her niece with her shoulder. "So? Are you going to be a total daddy's girl and attack his girlfriend?" She asked surprising a laugh out of the younger girl.

"I don't know. It's just weird I guess." She turned to her aunt. "I don't care that he had a date. I mean it's not like I want him to be alone forever. But I know the reason he wanted me out of the house was because he wanted to get it on, and that's just something I don't want to think about." She gave a fake shudder. "I really don't want to think about that."

Mandy laughed at the face she was making. They shopped quietly for a few more minutes in companionable silence. "So what do you think of her?"

The younger girl shrugged. "I haven't really got to know her but from what I've seen I think daddy's met his match." Laney answered grinning. "It's going to be interesting."

"It's about time his life was shaken up." Mandy hummed under her breath as she walked toward the dressing room. "He was kind of hurt that you didn't want to go driving with him today." She called back.

Laney turned to stare after her aunt. "Why would he be? And why are you so protective of him today?" She asked trailing after the other girl.

The older girl shrugged. "He just seemed really sad that you didn't want to spend time with him. Besides, I'm in too good of a mood for anyone else to feel bad around me."

Laney held up her arm full of clothes in an attempt to close her ears. "More stuff that I don't want to hear about." She said laughing. "Besides, do you know what happened the last time he took me driving? I never even got to get to turn on the truck and he yelled the entire time." Laney shook her head. "It would be so much easier if you would just teach me to drive."

"Oh honey, he's just worried. You're growing up too fast and he's scared he's loosing his little girl." Mandy advised her. Laney rolled her eyes as she headed into the dressing room.

* * *

Calloway residence

"What's going on Paul?" Mark asked as he carried the cordless phone with him into the living room.

"What do you know about the Dave situation?" The other man asked, the words ending in a grunt as Mark heard a crash in the background.

"I didn't know that there was a Dave situation." He answered laughing. He heard sounds of running feet in the background then Paul's aggravated voice came over the line. "Hold on."

"Sorry" He said coming back on the line a few minutes later. "They can be little monsters sometimes."

"Enjoy it while it lasts." Mark advised him. "Now what's going on with Dave?"

"Nobody really knows and that seems to be a big problem." A long sigh came over the line. "Apparently something is very wrong, he's really sick and he's keeping it close to his vest."

"Normally I would say he's a big boy and can take care of himself, but..." He trailed off as he waited for Paul to elaborate.

"But the kids aren't taking it well." the other man finished.

"Which one do you want me to take?" The Texan asked, already knowing the answer.

"Has John talked to you about the problems he's having with Journey?" Paul asked instead.

"I'm aware that there's an issue, but he's not said anything directly or come to me for help. I didn't want to stick my nose in ." Mark admitted, frowning at the empty room. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"It's possible that John is so frustrated at home that he's trying to hide it by getting angry at everyone

else who isn't as concerned as he his about Dave." Paul said delicately.

"Which is making everything ten times worse." Mark concluded.

"Yeah," Paul agreed. "Journey's brought cakes, cookies, anything she could bake to the house. She's trying to act as if nothing is wrong but she's about to her braking point. Randy just wants to ignore it all and maybe it will go away. Then there's John, determined to find out what's wrong and forcing the other two to face facts."

"Is that such a bad thing?" Mark asked concerned.

"When you consider their history it might be. They've lost their families and now the person that has stepped in as their father is seriously ill. It needs to be handled delicately and Dave had a reason for trying to keep it silent." Paul pointed out.

Mark sighed as he silently agreed. "I'll talk to him." he promised before hanging up the phone.

Wanting to take a couple minutes to compose his thoughts he ambled into the kitchen to get a drink. He popped the top of a can of Pepsi before picking up the phone. Hitting the speed dial he waited as the phone rang.

Thirteen rings later he was talking to the voice mail. "John, it's Mark. Listen, I was wanting to get in touch so give me a call." Pressing the end button he took a long swallow of his drink. "That was very nonthreatening." He decided, satisfied that the younger man would return his call. Deciding he could do a little investigating he turned back to the phone.

"Hello," A soft female voice answered.

Mark frowned at the weariness that infused the delicate tones. "Hey honey, howa you feeling?" He asked gently, not wanting to upset her further.

"Mark, it's nice to hear from you." Journey replied. "You've been holed up in Texas too long." He could hear the smile in her voice.

"Maybe but I'm not too out of it to notice that you didn't answer my question." He admonished softly. "You sound tired honey."'

"Just a little worn down. I've been busy and haven't taken the time to relax, that's all." She defended herself.

"You aren't pregnant are you?" He asked bluntly.

She gave a small laugh. "What in the world makes you think that?"

"You're tired, worn down, and...I know you and John haven't been getting along too good lately."

There was silence on the line before she asked quietly. "Did he tell you that?"

Mark sighed at the stiffness that had entered her voice. "No, he hasn't." He was silent for a couple seconds. "But it's obvious that something is wrong. Do you want to talk about it?"

"There's nothing to talk about." She answered somewhat bitterly.

"Ah honey, You know it's going to get worse if you don't talk to someone." He advised, silently willing her to confide in him.

"No you misunderstood. There's nothing in our relationship to talk about anymore." Her breath caught on a sob that she quickly tried to control.

Before Mark could comfort her there was a commotion in the background. "Get off the phone Journey." An angry voice came over the line.

"Ari, please don't talk to me like that." He heard Journey respond firmly.

"Whatever, just get off the phone. I want to talk to my friend." The sound of the phone being dropped came over the line followed by a loud buzzing. Mark shook his head as he hung up. "I think I know what the problem is." He muttered.

* * *

"Hey Aunt Mandy, what do you think about this one?" Laney asked as she stepped out of the dressing room. Frowning at the accompanying silence she turned in a quick circle, searching for the other girl.

"Excuse me." A heavily accented voice came from her right.

Startled she turned to see a small man with dark skin looking at her expectantly. "Can I help you?" She asked , tossing her head so that her hair swung out.

"Please excuse me for staring, but it is my job to admire such beauty." Eyes shining he reached out to touch the ends of her hair. "Your hair is pure sunlight."

Laney jerked away from him. "Dude you're freaking me out."

"Please, I mean no disrespect." He reached into his pocket and handed her a business card. "I am a photographer."

She looked from the glossy card to the well dressed man standing in front of her.

"I have no doubt that you could be the next model sensation." He assured her when she continued looking at him.

Coming down the isle with two more dresses Mandy spotted her niece in the doorway talking to someone. Curious she tilted her head to see the other person.

Her heart stopped and the dresses fell from her arms as her hands came up to stifle her scream. "No, oh no." She moaned as she rushed through the racks.

"Get away from her you monster, just stay away." She shouted as she slid to a stop, making sure to put herself between him and the younger girl.

Startled he took a step back. "I meant no offense." He exclaimed, holding up his hands.

"So what, you just stand outside of women's dressing rooms for the fun of it?" She demanded as she poked at him.

"Aunt Mandy calm down." Laney whispered as she tried to pull her aunt away.

"No please, you don't understand." He looked around wildly for some help. "I meant no harm."

"S you didn't. You were just waiting here to snatch the first available girl so that you could rape her." She shouted, causing gasps to come from the gathering crowd.

"I apologize for speaking to your niece

* * *

but I am not doing what you think." He said, drawing up to his full height as he began to get angry.

"Is there a problem?" A leggy brunette asked, walking out of the dressing room with several articles of clothing in her arms. Seeing Mandy squaring off against the slight man she quickly stepped to his side. "Phillipe, what's going on here?"

"A mix up, nothing more." He assured her. He turned back to Mandy. "Madam I apologize for scaring you. I wanted only to offer your niece a chance to model for my company."

Mandy nodded in embarrassment as she watched them walk away.

Laney spoke up from behind her. "He said I could make it big in the modeling business." she turned to head back in the dressing room. "Guess that's out now."

Laney, " The older girl said as she followed in. "I'm sorry for embarrassing you, but it's better than you getting raped." She reached out and grabbed her arm. "It happens." she said forcibly.

The teenager got a strange look in her eyes as she nodded. "So what do you think about this one?"

Mandy accepted the change in subject gratefully as she examined the dress.

Later that night

Hello." Mark answered the phone, grabbing the remote and turning down the volume on the TV.

"Hey sexy." The warm voice came over the line, causing Mark to choke on his drink. Setting the beer down he reached for a towel to wipe up the wet drops.

"Sammie?" He asked cautiously.

Her laughter filled his head. "Were you expecting someone else?" She teased.

"Didn't you know, I'm too much man for just one woman." He drawled, grinning in to the darkness.

"Well in that case I'll get off." She teased back. "I wouldn't want you to miss a call from one of your numerous ladies."

"No!" he exclaimed, blushing when he realized how fast that had come out. "I always have time to talk to you."

"Okay, I'll stay on the line if want to talk to me that bad." She said, laughing again.

"Hey now darling, you're bad for my image." He responded. "Besides aren't you the one that called me?"

"I just wanted to check up on you. I know I left you in an awkward place last night.

Mark growled. "I managed to survive it."

"I was expecting you to show up at the clinic today." She continued.

He shrugged on his end of the phone. "I didn't want to seem two desperate."

"Are you?" He could hear the interested note in her voice.

"Hell yes." He growled again, causing her to break out in laughter.

"Do you know what I find most attractive about you?" She asked when she had caught her breath.

"My dashing good looks?" He asked suggestively.

"Well there is that, but I wouldn't want your head to get any bigger than it already is." She told him in a dry tone.

"Should I guess again?" He asked when she remained silent.

"You make me laugh and on days like today I really need it." She answered quietly.

"Rough day?" He ventured sympathetically.

"We can't save everyone."


	11. sunday fun

Here's the next installment of the soap opera. Happy reading.

* * *

Sun afternoon

"Steph, hi." Jayden said in surprise as she opened the door. "No babies?" She asked in disappointment.

"No I decided I needed a me day and dumped them on Paul." The other girl replied laughing. She slumped into a chair pretending exhaustion. "They're into everything. You stop one and the other takes off."

Jayden laughed. "Just wait until they hit the terrible two's."

Steph covered her ears. "Don't even go there. I'm not sure I can handle that."

"Well you can give them to Aunt Jayden anytime you want." She offered eagerly as she led the way into the kitchen.

"You may come to regret that." Steph warned. "If you think you're worn out now, just wait."

Jayden frowned. "Are you saying I look that bad?" She asked pretending to be affronted.

"Yes." Steph answered bluntly. "You have dark circles under your eyes and your hair is all limp."

"Thanks." The redhead answered dryly. She vainly tried to run her hand through her hair.

"But that's why I want you to come with me." She conjoled, linking her arm through the other girl's. "We can hit the mall, get out nails done, go out to lunch. Have the ultimate girls day."

Jayden hesitated, torn between wanting to go and her responsibilities. "I don't know. Dave's taking a nap right now."

"Is he feeling any better?" Steph asked sympathetically.

The other girl shrugged, wanting to confide in someone but not wanting to betray Dave's confidence.

Steph nodded in understanding. "Going out is not a bad thing. It might even help a little. You know, it'll give him some alone time and you get a chance to recharge."

Jayden nodded reluctantly. "Okay, let me just go check on him."

* * *

Cena household, same time

Journey gagged one last time before slumping over the toilet. Sweat dampened her forehead as her stomach continued to roll.

"Here, this will help." Nikki Cena said, holding out a wet wash cloth.

"Thanks." She whispered as she began gagging again.

"Honey, you need to go to the doctor." Nikki tried as she led the pale girl to the bedroom.

"I don't need a doctor." Journey protested as she curled up on the bed. Tears leaked uncontrollably from her eyes.

"Sweetie, you've lost at least five pounds since the last time I've seen you and you've done nothing but puke your guts up since I got here."

"I'm fine." Journey protested as she raced for the bathroom yet again.

Nikki was waiting for her with her arms crossed when she stumbled back to bed. "Drink this." She instructed pushing a cup towards her.

"What is it?" Journey asked warily, taking a cautious sip.

"Chamomile tea. It'll help settle your stomach. So... how far along are you?" Nikki asked her friend.

"What?" Exclaimed the other girl, struggling to sit up.

"You're pregnant. How many weeks are you?" She asked expectantly.

Journ'ey's face paled. "I'm not pregnant." She protested weakly.

Nikki's eyebrows went up. "Could have fooled me. When was the last time you had a period?"

She thought about it before shrugging. "I don't know. Ever since the fire I've been real irregular."

"So it's a possiblly right?" The younger girl prodded.

Journe'y face became even paler as she thought about it. "It's just the stomach flu. It'll pass."

"Ari told me that you've been doing this every day for the last two weeks. Seems a little excessive for the flu."

"Ari need to mind her own damn business." Journey muttered as tears leaked from her eyes. "Besides, her behavior and John's response to it is most likely the cause. I probably have an ulcer."

"She can't be that bad." Nikki interjected laughing. "She's in her room right now, quietly listening to music."

"Don't let her fool you. I try to set boundaries for her when John's not here. She deliberately breaks them and pushes me until I'm at my wit's end. When I yell at her she runs and calls her father. And do you know what that son of a bitch tells me."

"I'm scared to find out." The younger girl murmured.

"He tells me to leave her alone, that she didn't do anything wrong and that I shouldn't have made rules in the first place." Journey yelled as she flung a pillow at the window.

Nikki frowned. "Why the hell would he say that?"

"Damned if I know. It's not like he talks to me anymore anyway. Basically I'm only good for one thing."

"Do you think maybe you're overreacting just a little bit?"

Journey shook her head. "You said it yourself, I might be pregnant. How can I think of bringing a child into this kind of environment. I'm not even sure I want to stay myself."

Outside the bedroom door the dark haired child frowned as she silently crept back to her own room.

"So you have thought about it." Nikki leaped on the admission, pleased when it caused the other girl to laugh.

"I miss having you around Nikki. You've been absent a lot lately."

The younger girl shrugged. "It's a little awardward to be around Randy."

"Yeah well, he won't talk about what made the two of you break up. So spill."

Nikki got up to pace around the room. "Commitment issues I guess."

Journey rolled her eyes. "I should have know. I don't think that boy is ever going to stay in a relationship."

Nikki frowned, her expression sad. "Actually you have it backward. I'm the one that broke it off." She shrugged when the other girl gave her a startled expression. "I'm only 20 years old. I'm not ready to settle down. There's too much I want to see and do, too many people I want to see and do." She said causing Journey to laugh.

The were silent for several minutes. "He proposed to me you know." Nikki said finally.

"He asked you to marry him?" Journey asked astonished.

Nikki nodded. "And that's when I decided I couldn't stay with him. I think I hurt him really bad."

"Damn, no wonder he wouldn't talk about it." Journey was silent. "Does John know?"

"I didn't tell him." She made another rotation around the room. "Okay, since we are now both throughly depressed how about we go to the mall. I am in need of some serious shopping."

Journey shook her head regretfully. "I can't leave Ari here alone and I don't want to take her with us. Knowing her she would try to steal something." Groaning she put her head in her hands. "I know I shouldn't say stuff like that and I'm probably making the situation worse, but it's been a very tough couple months."

* * *

Texas

"Okay now, put it in reverse and slowly back down the driveway." Mark instructed as he tried to keep his voice calm. He forced himself to continue to look straight ahead. He didn't want to intimidate her by watching too closely.

Taking a deep breath Laney glanced behind her for the third time before she slowly let off the brake. Reaching the end of the driveway she flashed him a huge smile. "I didn't hit anything so...are you going to actually let me drive on the road?"

Mark closed his eyes as he thumbed a rolaid. "God help me, yes."

Putting the car in park she reached over and covered his hand. "Thanks daddy. I really appreciate this."

His voice choked as he pointed to the steering wheel. "Let's get this over with before my heart gives out."

Grinning she put the car back in reverse. Making sure there was no traffic coming she pulled out into the street, pretending not to notice her father's white grip on the center console.

"Some boy called for you last night." He remarked once they had driven for a couple minutes with no mishaps.

"Who was it?" She asked turning to look at him.

"Keep your eyes on the damn road." He roared sharply. She rolled her eyes as she focused back on the road. "I want to know why guys are calling you. Got a boyfriend I don't know about?" He asked paying close attention.

Frowning she deliberately increased her speed causing him to curse under his breath. "Either pull over or slow down." He gritted out, drawing a big breath as she slowed down to the speed limit. "Head down this street." He pointed down a side street leading away from town.

"So who was it?" she asked impatiently as she flipped on the turn signal.

"He said his name was Jared. He seemed really disappointed that you weren't there." He relented.

She was silent for a couple minutes. "Would you let me date him, if I wanted to?" She asked finally.

He frowned. "You're making me out to be the mean papa, you know that right? You're only 15 and just barely that." He sighed. "How old is he?"

She rolled her eyes when he wasn't looking. "I think he's 18."

Mark gave a short laugh. "You should know better than to ask me something like that."

"Daddy." She whined.

"Laney." He whined back. "I don't feel comfortable with you being alone with a guy that old, especially not in his car." He said firmly.

She remained silent, causing him to sign long and hard. "Don't make me lock you in your room."

She shrugged letting the subject go. "I was wondering, now that you're home a lot more, about maybe going to public school." She rushed on before he could respond. "I want to go to things like the spring formal and the prom. Plus it would look really good on my college applications if I was in activities like student government."

Mark gave a little smile. "Easier to meet boys too."

Stopping at a stop sign she turned to face him. "It's not like that. It's just hard to be with my friends when they're talking about things that happened at school and not know what they're talking about."

"Darling, I'm not arguing with you. I agree that it would be a good idea."

"And it's not like ti would be right away. This semester is half over and it would be easier to start next fall."

He nodded solemnly, his eyes twinkling. "You've given this a lot of thought.

She nodded as she circled back toward home. "I've been thinking about this for awhile."

"Anything else you've been thinking about?" He asked, half dreading the answer. He expected her to sprout Sammie's name.

She flashed him a grin. "I want to model."

"As in walk down the runway with your ribs showing?" He asked astonished. "What brought this on?"

"Just pictures." She responded laughing. "I met this really cool guy yesterday. He just moved here from El Paso. He's a photographer and he's wanting to add some local girls to his profolio." She explained.

"I don't see a problem with that. But I definitely do not want you going alone." He warned.

Laney wrinkled her nose. "Aunt Mandy acted really weird when she saw me talking to him."

"Weird how?" He asked perplexed.

"She came running up to us yelling about how he's a pervert because he was talking to me next to the dressing room."

"He was in the dressing room with you?" Mark sat up straighting in outrage.

"No he was waiting outside for his girlfriend. I stepped out to show Mandy a dress, she wasn't there and he commented on how photogenic I looked." She explained patiently. "He was really nice even when Aunt Mandy kept yelling."

"Weren't you taught not to talk to strangers?"

"Daddy, it was a simple conversation. It's not like he was going to rape me." She rolled her eyes again, earing a swat on the head when her father caught her.

"You need to learn to be more careful." He growled.

She shook her head in exasperation. "We were in the middle of a crowded store."

"Things can happen anywhere." He said again, giving her a second bop on the head.

She swatted his hand away. "So does that mean you're going to let me to it?"

"As long as I'm there and you don't wear anything revealing." She caught herself in time from rolling her eyes again.

"Sooo, next time we go driving do you think maybe we can go on roads that have traffic?" She asked as she pulled into the driveway.

"You're trying to kill me, aren't you baby girl."

* * *

Connecticut

"Journey." Steph called across the crowded mall.

Turning the younger girl smiled softly. "Where are the babies?" She asked once the group was together.

"With someone else for the day, thank goodness." She dramatized, causing everyone to laugh.

"Trust me when I tell you I know the feeling." Journey answered with feeling.

"Luckily Ari wanted to go to a friend's so we have a few hours of playtime." Nikki announced, throwing her arms around her friend.

Jayden frowned as she noticed the deep shadows beneath her adopted daughters eyes. "Are you feeling okay honey?"

The petite blond shrugged, causing Nikki to speak up. "She might be pregnant but isn't willing to admit it yet, so I dragged her out to have some fun." She announced.

"Oh I'm having fun, but I'll have a lot more killing you." She said sending daggers at her friend. "I'm not pregnant." She assured the older girls.

"It's a possibility." Nikki sing songed as she danced out of reach.

"Well, regardless, a good meal will do you a world of good. We have reservations at Chez's." Steph said giving the younger girl's shoulder a squeeze. "The more the merrier."

Soon they were all sitting around the table laughing as Steph related the antics of the twins.

"See, babies aren't all bad." Nikki poked at her friend.

"It isn't the baby I'm objecting to, it's the father." Journey responded shaking her head. She couldn't help but smiling.

"So we can get a pregnancy test on the way home?" She conjoled bouncing in her seat.

Journey looked to the other two for help. "Make her stop, please." She pleaded laughing.

"No way. I don't want her starting on me." Jayden declared, her eyes twinkling. She held her hands up when three pair of eyes swung her way. "I'm not." She said firmly.

"Okay Grandma Jayden." Nikki teased her.

Journey and Jayden eyes lit up. "Grandpa Dave." They chorused together as they burst out laughing.

Satisfied with a job well done, Nikki and Steph shred conspiratorial smiles.


	12. making fun of natives

Hey all, I had computer trouble last week and had to rewrite this chapter all over. I have to rewrite the next one too, I hope to get it done tonight. We'll see. Happy reading. I was recently told that while I am a good writer I tend to have too many spelling errors and mispronunciations. I apologize but the truth is I'm too impatient to look that carefully. If any of you know of a beta I could use let me know. Thanks.

* * *

Nashville, Tennessee, Raw

John looked over at his friend, noticing his heightened anticipation. "Please don't tell me you're actually looking forward to preforming in front of this hick town." He asked as he pulled the car into the arena parking lot.

Randy shrugged as he turned to look out the window, his eyes searching. He didn't bother to explain how his stomach was churning in excitement, knowing instinctively that John wouldn't understand. "Tennessee's not that bad." He replied instead.

"Ha." John snorted, not paying attention to the look on his friend's face. "You did see the guy on the corner with the long white beard and the banjo right?"

The younger man laughed as he climbed out of the car. "I admit that it was an interesting sight but it's not like Boston doesn't have it's share of weirdo's."

Grinning John held up his hand. "Maybe but at least we don't look like we only bathe in the river once a month." He said in perfect imitation of a southern drawl.

Randy turned to give him a strange look, the smiling sliding off his face. "When did you become a snob?"

"It's called being realistic." He defended himself. He felt the stirring of irritation which always seemed to be laying just under the surface lately. Angry that he couldn't seem to control it he slammed the door of the car with enough force to rattle the glass in the windows.

"If you say so." Randy shrugged, unaffected by his friend's show of anger. He took the opportunity to walk toward the doors of the arena, his eyes searching the large crowd of fans pushing against the restraining fence.

John growled as he watched his friend walk away, taking a few minutes to think about going after him. He couldn't believe Randy had shunned him like that, had condemned him for his words. He was usually the fist to make fun to the locals.

"What's the matter, you and your boyfriend have a fight?" A taunting voice came from behind him.

John turn slightly to see a leering Kenny Dykstra looming behind him. "I'd be careful if I was you. I ain't afraid of kicking your ass, McMahon or no McMahon." He flexed his hands in anticipation.

Undeterred the young superstar leaned causally against the side of the car. "If you aren't scared to get beat down in front of all these fans then I'm all for it." He spread his arms open wide in invitation.

John laughed. "I'm not as dumb as you think. If we were to have, say an altercation, here in front of the fans McMahon would be forced to start a storyline to cover it up." He shook his head. "I'm betting thats just what you want." He started to walk away.

"You're just scared of losing your title." Kenny yelled after him, watching the fans to guage their reaction.

John shook his head, ignoring the younger man as he continued to walk away. He could hear the fans yelling their disappointment. "Stupid prick." He muttered under his breath as his phone rang.

"Cena." He barked, his voice abnormally loud in the empty hallway.

"Is this a bad time?" The soft tones of his girlfriend came over the airways, causing him to smile sadly.

"Hey honey." John said glad to her her voice. "I just had a run in with the spirit squad leader."

"What's the matter, he wasn't peppy enough for you?" She attempted to joke. He frowned as his ears picked up the faint strain in her voice.

"Oh you know me, I'm not the cheerleading type. I prefer the math geeks." He teased, eliciting a faint laugh from her.

"So, where are you'll at tonight?" Journey inquired.

"Nashville, Tennessee." He supplied. "Randy called me a snob because I was making fun of the natives."

She didn't laugh as expected. "Maybe he had a point. You have been a little mean lately."

He blinked at her words. "Is that a personal observation?" He asked, his voice tightly controlled.

"I didn't call to fight with you."

John sat down heavily on a pile of crates. "But I'm getting the feeling you didn't call to love on me either."

"We need to talk." She answered her voice full of weariness.

John closed his eyes in sudden despair. "Are you feeling okay?" He asked in concern.

She hesitated as she looked down at the home pregnancy test she held in her hand. "Yeah." She finally answered.

"Are you having problems with Ari again?" He asked when she didn't go on.

Journey sighed as she threw the stick into the trashcan. "When don't I have problems with her?" She asked bitterly.

"Well what do you think she did now?"

Outraged silence followed his comment. "Think? I don't have to think, I'm the one here dealing with the problems. I'm the one that has to apologize to the neighbors after she digs up their gardens. I'm the one that has to go to the school every time she gets sent to the principals office."

"Why do we have to go over the same ground every time we talk?" He groaned.

"Because you haven't done anything to fix it." She said anger making her voice squeak. Taking a deep breath she allowed her body to relax. "Okay, I agree this isn't what I called to talk about."

John wisely remained silent, ignoring the looks he was receiving from stage hands as they passed him by.

"Why don't we go out, just the two of us. Something romantic and fun where we don't talk about anything that's bothering us?" She suggested.

"I don't think we can. I mean I have to go to Texas tomorrow. Mark has something to talk about and then I have to be in California on Thursday for that promotional spot on that show. And then the house shows this weekend." He ticked off the list on his fingers.

"Oh."

He could hear the wealth of disappointment in that one little word. "Listen I'll take Ari with me to Texas. You can have some alone time and pamper yourself or whatever it is that women do."

"Yeah, just what I need."

He searched her words for sarcasm. "I don't know what you want from me anymore." He said tiredly. "Is it marriage? Is that what's all the fighting has been about lately? Do you want me to marry you?"

"Actually John, right now that's the last thing I want from you." She said quietly before hanging up.

John was left staring at his phone. Swearing he got up and stalked to his locker room. The only other occupant of the room looked up when he slammed the door.

"Man, things sure are different around here." Shelton observed as he grinned unrepentedly.

"What the hell are you talking about?" John snarled as he flung his bag into the corner of the room. Panic was clawing at his stomach and threatening to close off his airway. He took a couple of deep breaths.

"Just that with Mark taking so much time off, Paul only working the big shows, Shawn off the next couple months because he's getting married, and Dave injured..."

"Do you have a point or are you rambling just to see how much you can irritate me?" John interrupted rudely.

"I'm just saying that you and Randy act different when they're not around. And not always in a good way." Shelton pointed out.

"Yeah well seeing as how I just ruined the best relationship of my life and drove away the only woman I'm ever going to love, I don't really care that you're taking notes for the elders." He resisted the urge to bang his head against the wall.

Shelton was kind enough not to point out how dramatic the other man was being as he held up his hand. "It was just an observation." He was silent as he studied his friend. "Have you tried flowers?"

"She doesn't like flowers." John replied absently as he stared off into space.

"Dude, every girl likes flowers." Shelton said shaking his head.

"Journey doesn't." John insisted as Randy walked in.

"She doesn't what?" He asked, all anger over the earlier incident gone.

"He got in a fight with his girl and doesn't think flowers will work." Shelton was happy to explain.

"She doesn't like flowers." John muttered sullenly.

Randy narrowed his eyes at his friend. "I really don't think you know what she likes or dislikes anymore."

"So what, you think I should send her the damn flowers." He asked in exasperation as he got up to pace.

"I think you should talk to her, really talk to her." Randy told him gently. "But flowers wouldn't hurt." He looked at his watch. "I've got to go find someone." He almost ran out of the room.

"What the hell was that?" John demanded, staring at the empty door with a perplexed look on his face.

"Oh, it's so cute how you go all big brother on him." Shelton teased in a false high voice, undeterred by the look John was sending him. He shrugged in answer to the other man's question. "Where ever he's going he's made the trip six times in the hour he's been here."

* * *

Randy stepped out onto the course way of the arena, pulling his hat low to avoid being recognized. Walking quickly he walked from one concession stand to the next, his eyes searching hungrily. His heart stuttered then began beating double time as he spotted a tall brunette.

He resisted the urge to run as he attempted to navigate the thick crowds between them. The last thing he wanted was to attract attention to himself.

He mumbled quick apologies as he ran into people too slow to get out of his path. Finally he was standing behind her as she ordered several drinks from the vendor. Lifting his arm he causally bumped her in the back, holding his breath when she turned to frown at him.

His breath exploded from him as he stared in disappointment at the blue eyes staring at him disapprovingly. Mumbling an apology he turned away, not noticing how those eyes widened in surprise. He was oblivious to the gathering whispers going on around him as he once again hungrily searched the crowd.

"You're Randy Orton." A female voice cried excitedly, catching his attention. His pulse jumped as he turned to the average looking female that was staring at him in excitement.

"And you're one of the girls from the autograph session on Thursday." He gave her his hundred watt grin.

She nodded, unable to speak as she stared at him in starstruck delight.

Two security guards appeared on either side of him. "Mr. Orton we insist that you come backstage. The crowd is becoming unruly." They murmured softly as they attempted to herd him towards the back.

Randy became aware of the large crowd for the first time, pushing against him from all directions. He grabbed the girl's hand before she could be pulled away. "Is anyone here with you?" He shouted to be heard over the noise.

She shook her head no, allowing herself to be pulled along as the security team ushered him backstage.

* * *

Connecticut, Dr. Aspen's office.

"Breathe honey." Jayden advised softly as she massaged her boyfriend's neck.

Dave shrugged her hand off impatiently as he got up to pace. "I don't understand why they put you in these little rooms if they don't plan on seeing you right away." He growled.

Jayden refrained from commenting, instead pulling a book from her purse.

Dave turned to stare at her accusingly. "Why the hell did you even come? You sure as hell aren't paying attention to me."

Signing she looked up at him. "I'm here to support you, in the good and the bad. But I'm not tolerating you acting like this."

"Acting like what?" He asked suspiciously from across the room. He couldn't help but feel a sense of peace at her words. "A little boy pulling a tantrum?"

"I was going to say Randy when he's done something he knows he shouldn't do, but they both work." She teased, her lips twitching.

Dave couldn't help but laughing. "I'm sorry honey, I just, God I hate this." He turned to stare at the wall as he felt tears come to his eyes. His heart turned over as her arms came around him.

She laid her head against his broad back. "Well get through this." Neither heard the door open behind them.

"Excuse me folks." Dr. Aspen said respectfully from the door way.

"It's okay. Just tell us you have good news." Jayden gave a strained laugh as she led the big man to the set of chairs lined in fornt of the desk.

The doctor nodded as he looked them in the eye. "The treatments have done what we hoped and I feel we can safely continue on to the next step."

"That would be surgery?" Jayden ventured when Dave remained silent.

"Like we discussed, now that we are at this point we need to move fast." He pulled several pieces of paper out of a folder. "I have talked to Doctor Mallory down at Vanderbilt. He is the leading specialist in this area. You can fly down tomorrow, get the preliminaries done, and have the surgery on Wednesday."

Dave was already shaking his head. "The earliest we can do it is next Thursday."

Dr. Aspen looked shocked. "The longer we wait the more chances there are for complications. A lot can change in the next week and half."

"Dave." Jayden protested, seeing the resolve on her boyfriend's face.

He shook his head. "I'm not going to ruin the wedding with this bullshit. The wedding is on next Wednesday. We can have the surgery on Thursday. We can do a couple extra treatments to make sure conditions stay the same."

Dr. Aspen opened his mouth to protest when he was paged overhead. "If you'll excuse me I'll be back in a couple minutes."

Jayden waited until he had left the room before turning to Dave. "We have to tell them."

He raised his eyebrows. "You aren't going to argue with me about the surgery." He asked in surprise.

She shook her head. " I know better than to argue with a rock."

Dave smiled sadly. "They don't need to know." He said returning to the original subject.

"If you have surgery without telling them they might never forgive you." She warned him.

"I don't want them to get involved in this." He protested weakly, pressure squeezing his chest. He could picture the fear in Journey's eyes, could anticipate the trouble Randy would cause in retaliation.

"They're already involved, they're already sick with worry." She stressed.

"I don't want to hurt them even more than they've already been." He sighed, knowing she was right. "I want it just the four of us, our family for right now."

"John's going to Mark's tomorrow. If might be better if he told him." Journey ventured.

Dave nodded in resignation.

* * *

Nashville Tennessee, Raw

"That was wild." The young woman breathed, looking around the empty looker room. Randy smiled as he thanked the security guards.

"So what's your name?" He asked as he turned back to her. He tried to curb his impatience, not wanting to scare her before she gave him the answers he needed.

"I'm Brianna Moppet." She grinned at him. "It's okay. I know you weren't looking for me."

He winced. "There's nothing wrong with you. I mean you're cute and you're fun to be with..." he trailed off in embarrassed silence.

She laughed. "I saw the way you and Cammie were looking at each other the other day. It was instant attraction."

He blushed. "Her name's Cammie?" he asked softly.

Grinning Brianna hooked her arm through his. "You introduce me to some of the other wrestlers and I'll tell you everything you need to know."


	13. love and favors

Monday night

The sun was fading from the horizon, leaving the sky filled with hues of red, orange, and gold. Trees were back lit, their bark turned dusky in the oncoming darkness. Like a piece of artwork branches soared into the sky as if reaching for one another.

In a darkened house sitting at the end of a cul de sac a woman stood at the window. Her red hair shimmered in the glow of candlelight while her eyes stared sadly into the distance. Across the room a man entered, his heart swelling with emotions he could not contain.

"Hey honey." Shawn wrapped his finance in his arms as he came up behind her. He drew in a deep breath as the scent of her soft skin sent his heart racing. Unable to resist himself he ran his hands along her rib cage. "Keeping watch for monsters?"

Mandy smiled as she leaned back into his arms. "Not this time." She indicated the fading palette of colors. "Sunsets are the most beautiful time of day. Too bad they only last for a couple of minutes."

"In ten days you will be Mrs. Shawn Michaels and we will be watching the most spectacular sunsets ever displayed from the islands of Hawaii. After which we will have the most sensual lovemaking ever experienced." He lifted her up in his arms and twirled around the room.

She laughed in delight as she threw her arms around him. "Promises, Promises. I think we should practice to make sure we get it right." Her eyes reflected the flickering light from the dozens of candles she had lit around the room.

"Hmmm." He buried his face in her hair. "It would appear that you were prepared for this opportunity." He teased, laying her down on the soft rug in front of the fireplace.

Her hands trembled in anticipation as he flicked open button after button down the front of her dress. "We've not had a lot of time together this past week, what with the wedding plans and all." She said, her breath coming in pants.

He leaned down to trail his tongue down the path of bare skin the open buttons had reveled. "Have I told you today how beautiful you are?" He breathed, his hot breath sliding over the skin of her belly.

She tugged at his shirt. "Maybe you should show me." She murmured, her eyes drinking in the sight of his bare chest. Her hands slid up so that her thumbs brushed across his nipples.

In a frenzy now he pushed the dress away from her, leaving her laying there in sheer black panties and bra. She arched her back as his hand trailed up the inside of her thigh to cup the core of her heat. Impatiently she tore off her own bra, baring her breast to his waiting mouth.

Exotic shadows danced against the wall as sweat slicked bare skin slid against one another. Low hungry moans matched the sound of the wind through the trees encircling the house. Time stood still as the two lovers joined together for one endless minute.

* * *

"Damn." Mark muttered as he rapped his knuckles on the hub of the engine. Shaking his hand he watched blood welling up from the small cut under the bright spot light shining off the eve of the garage.

"You really should get that taken care of." A female voice came from behind him, causing him to slam his head against the hood of the truck as he jerked around.

"You're dangerous to be around." He muttered as he rubbed the back of his head. He glared at the grinning female in front of him. "Where'd you come from anyway?"

"I drove here like a normal person." Sammie said pointing to her own truck and the large horse trailer behind it. "You probably didn't hear me with the music blaring as loud as it is. It almost sounds like I'm at home with my son."

Mark grinned sheepishly as he turned the portable radio down. "Somehow I don't see him listening to my kind of music."

"Didn't you know that old was in." She shook her head as she evaded his arms. "Besides, I was referring to the volume."

"Is something wrong?" He asked, hurt darking his eyes as she stayed out of his reach.

"I have to go back to work in a little bit and you're covered in grease." She reached up to wipe at a spot on his cheek, touched that he cared. "Not to mention blood." Grabbing his hand she led him into the kitchen.

He remained silent as she efficiently cleaned the wound and applied a bandage. "You really should be more careful." she admonished him as she bent to brush a soft kiss to the injury.

"Why should I when this is the result?" He teased.

Sammie sent him a reproving look. "That isn't funny." She turned away to put up the first aid kit she had used.

Frowning Mark grabbed her elbows as he gently turned her to face him. "Hey darling, what's wrong? You have shadows in your eyes." He ran a thumb along her forehead, trying to erase the worry lines.

She sighed as she resisted the urge to lean into him. " It's nothing, just sometimes I hate my job."

Concerned he drew her to the table and pushed her into a chair. "Tell me about it." He ordered, handing her a bottle of water.

She gave him a small smile in thanks. "On Saturday I had to put down a dog. A sweet, gentle dog, a little old but other wise healthy. The owners wanted him put down." She shoved out of the chair to get up to pace. "There was no reason for it."

"What could you have done?" Mark asked from his position from the sink.

Sammie shrugged. "There are always people who are looking for a good dog, willing to rescue a needy animal."

"So why couldn't you have done that?" He ventured uneasily as he watched her stalk around the room. He didn't want to upset her anymore more than she already was.

She stopped to lean against the door. "It takes time and resources to find a foster family. I'm in an apartment right now, one that unfortunately does not accept pets. I'm looking to buy a house with a large tract of land but it takes time." She shrugged despondently.

"Darling you're breaking my heart. Isn't there something that you can do?" He reached out to pull her into his arms.

Sammie sighed as she evaded his touch. "It's okay. I should go, I have a lot of things I need to get done and it's getting late."

"I don't think so." He followed her out in to the yard. "Why don't you tell me what you came over here for, cause I doubt it was to bandage my hand."

She ran a hand through her hair in a restless motion. "I was going to ask for a favor but I realized that I care for you too much to use you like that."

Mark resisted the urge to smile at the feelings her words caused. His inattention gave her the time she needed to cover the distance to her truck. "Hey wait." He called, his hand reaching out to slam the truck door before she could get in.

"I've go to get back to work. I never should have stopped by here when I'm so upset." She apologized, being careful to keep her eyes averted.

"Hey," He gently turned her face to his, his heart breaking at the tears in her eyes. "Tell me what 's wrong."

"It's wrong of me to take advantage of you like this." She protested.

"Why don't you let me be the judge of that." He tried to tease a smile out of her. "I do have the ability to say no when I need to."

She shook her head as she tried to decide if he was serious. "Okay." She indicated the horse trailer. "I need a place to house a horse for a couple days."

Mark eyed the trailed as it rocked with the violent movements from the horse within. "What's wrong with him?" He asked sceptically.

She instantly defended the animal. "Nothing's wrong with him. He was abused by his owners."

"Unha, and why do you have him?" Mark turned to fix his stern gaze on her.

"I was called out to care for his injuries when the police arrested the owner for animal cruelty. Unfortunately he was to skittish to stay in the holding pen at the clinic. The only other option was to put his down."

"If he's as violent as he's acting that might be a good thing." He hated to point it out to her.

"It's not his fault that he was treated that way. You wouldn't kill an abused child just because they were acting out." She spun away from him. "I just need some time to work with him. I know I can overcome his fears."

"Can I ask one more question?" He ventured when she turned angry eyes to him. "Is it legal for you to have him here?"

She gave a little laugh as her shoulders relaxed. "I filled out all the appropriate paperwork much as if I was fostering a child." she assured him.

"You must have been awful confident that I would take him." He teased as he approached where she was standing at the trailer doors.

Sammie shrugged. "I'm not without connections in town. After all I am fast establishing myself to be the best vet in the area." sSe said causing him to laugh. "Though I have to admit I was drawn to come here, to ask you for help, I do know other men with barns."

He frowned threateningly at her. "I better be the only man with a barn that you're kissing." He growled causing her to laugh.

She threw her arms around him. "You're the only one." She pressed her lips against his. "For the moment."

Mark gave her a playful smack on her backside. "Let's see this horse of yours."

Laughing she turned to ope the doors of the tailer. "He's very jumpy and he doesn't like men so try to stay away from him okay?"

Mark frowned as he watched the high strung horse toss his head, almost lifting her small frame off the ground. "I don't think I like you being around him much either."

She gave him an exasperated look. "I know what I'm doing."

He waited in stern silence until she was finished. "So do you have plans tomorrow?" He asked helping her repack the trailer.

"Not particularly, why you have something in mind?" She grinned up at him.

Mark shifted restlessly. "I have some family coming up tomorrow and I was hoping you and your son could come to dinner."

Sammie narrowed her eyes as she assessed how uncomfortable he appeared. "Is this like meeting the parents?"

"Worse." He groaned. "More children."

* * *

"Those are some awful heavy thoughts there." Shawn observed as they cuddled on the floor, a blanket covering their naked bodies.

"Just thinking." She allowed a smile to curve her lips.

"Unha." He placed a feather light kiss to the back of her neck. "Do these heavy thoughts have anything to do with what happened in the mall on Saturday?"

Mandy groaned. "Laney has a mouth." She raised her hands to cover her face.

Drawing her hands down he turned her to face him. "Why did she have to be the one to tell me?" He asked gently.

"Because it was embarrassing." She laid her forehead against his chest to hide her face. He smiled, knowing she was grinning as she pressed her lips to his chest.

"Damn right it was. If I was Laney I would have denied all claim to you." He shook his head as he laughed. "I'm surprised she didn't take off."

"I'm pretty sure she wanted to." Mandy admitted as she swatted at him. "And you stop laughing." She ordered him playfully.

"You have to admit that it's funny." He teased as he pushed the blanket down to bare a breast. "So what was causing the dark thoughts?" He asked as he massaged the offered nipple.

She shrugged as she circled her arms around him, laying her head down so that the beat of his heart reverberated throughout her body. "It just worries me that I'm always going to have these kind of reactions."

He resisted the urge to laugh as he ran his hands along her back. "Honey it's a normal reaction for you. And let me tell you that what happened would have happened to any mother who saw a strange man talking to their daughter."

She sent him a look, clearly not believing him. "Okay, maybe not that extreme, but it would have happened." He insisted as his hands slid down to cup her bottom.

She leaned up to press a soft kiss to his grinning lips. "You always seem to make me feel better."

"What can I say, I've made it my life's work to make you happy." He whispered as he deepened the kiss.

She smiled as her hands reached down to grasp the essence of his manhood "You forgot one thing." She reminded him, her voice husky with need.

"And what would that be?" He asked as his body tightened up in reaction. She shivered as his tongue traced her collarbone.

"How our children are going to hate me because I'm so over protective and will embarrass them horribly." She murmured as she arched into him.

Startled he drew back. "Children?" He echoed faintly.

She laughed at the look on his face. "At least three." She closed her mouth over his.


	14. Dinner dates

Hey all, another chapter. Thanks to my three loyal fans. And shame on you lurkers who don't take the time to review, lol. Happy reading.

* * *

There was silence as the car traveled slowly up the road, the vehicle skidding to a stop as the light turned red. Rain pounded on the windshield while the swish of the wipers reverberated through the car. The two occupants sat stiffly, their bodies tight with tension.

"I'm surprised it's not snowing." The passenger spoke up, her voice catching on the last word. Clutching her hands tighter together she swallowed hard against any further loss of control.

"The roads are slick, they'll be pure ice before the night's out." The driver responded, his only show of emotion the white knuckled grip he had on the steering wheel.

"I appreciate you coming to pick me up. I know it was a little out of your way." She murmured, wanting to reach out to him for comfort. Unsure of how he would react and not wanting to break down herself, she angled her body away.

He shrugged. "To tell you the truth I really didn't want to be alone." He avoided making eye contact with her as he spoke, knowing how expressive his eyes could be.

They drove in silence once again, the only car on the dark roads. Steam fogged the side windows as their rapid breathing belied their agitation. Feet tapping against the floor boards matched the sound of of the pouring rain.

Randy glanced over at his sister as he pulled the car over to the curb at the entrance to the posh neighborhood. "We need to come up with a game plan." He spoke up as he peeled his fingers from the steering wheel.

"For what? It's not like we can make him not be sick." Journey frowned as she moved restlessly in her seat. She stared at him in confusion.

"If we could do that we wouldn't be sitting here having this discussion." He bit out, frowning as he rubbed a hand over his eyes. She remained silent on her side of the car, huddled into a ball. "I'm sorry, I just hate this."

She let out her pent up breath. "This is hard on all of us."

"Especially Dave. He is the one that's sick. God knows how sick." He shifted so that he was facing her fully. "We have to be united on this. Go in there and be relaxed and supportive. Take some of the burden off him and just be there for him. Like he's always there for us."

She gave a strained laugh as she looked at him in disbelief. "Do you really think we can go in there and not break down?"

"I think we have to."

* * *

San Antonio Texas

"So why did we have to come down here today?" Ari asked in a bored voice.

"Because when the big man says we have to come, we come." John replied as he navigated the rental car over the rough country roads outside San Antonio. He spared a look for his daughter. "This is a big deal tonight so I want you to be on your best behavior okay?"

She shrugged. "What's so important about it?"

"Apparently Mark has a new girlfriend and she's having dinner with us." He shook his head, a baffled expression on his face. Mark with a girlfriend was not something he wanted to think about.

"Grandpa Mark has a girlfriend? Isn't he too old?" She asked causing her father to laugh.

"You be sure to tell him you think so."

"So why didn't Journey come with us if this dinner is so important?" Ari asked, kicking her feet against the dashboard.

John resisted the urge to reach out and stop her. "She wasn't feeling well and Dave wanted her to go to his house for dinner."

"She's always sick lately." She complained. "She never eats anything anymore and she 's throwing up all the time."

John remained silent as he pulled into the Deadman's driveway. His worry over his girlfriend rose another notch.

"Oh wow, look at the horse!." Ari cried as she climbed out of the car.

"He's loco and very dangerous." Mark said as he walked up to them. He tapped Ari on the top of the head. "I don't want you anywhere near the pen." He waited until she nodded before he moved over to talk to John.

Ari kept watch and as soon as they were engrossed in conversation she took off for the paddock where the stallion was racing back and forth. Coming to the fence she peeked between the boards. "Here Horsey, here boy." She called in a soft voice.

The horse responded by letting out a high pitched whinny and charging the fence. Strong arms grabbed her seconds before the large horse crashed in to the boards, causing the top rail to splinter.

Grabbing the back of Ari's shirt Mark lifter her up until she was eye level. "What the hell were you thinking?" He yelled conscious of the people pouring out of the house.

Feet dangling Ari stared back with wide frightened eyes.

"I ought to..." He continued to threaten.

John tore his eyes away from the soft spoken woman, who was currently preforming miracles with the wild horse, to reach for his daughter. "Mark stop. Let her down."

"I'm not stopping until she learns a lesson." Mark yelled as he relinquished his hold on the girl. "She could have gotten killed."

"So we should be comforting her instead of yelling loud enough to make her deaf." John stated. Mark stared at him in disbelief before stalking off.

"I have never seen him that mad." Laney breathed from her position near the house. She jumped when the screen door slammed.

"Dude he was so mad he couldn't even talk." The teenage boy next to her said, laughing.

"Wade." His mother admonished. "Why don't you and Laney go make sure dinner doesn't burn." She turned to find John staring at her speculatively, his daughter's hand firmly in his. "I would say you're really in the dog house."

He shrugged as he gave her a charming grin. "It's nothing new, I pretty much stay there. The big man didn't stay around to introduce us. I'm John and this is my daughter Ari."

"Sammie." She introduced herself before bending down until she was eye level with the little girl. "Do you like horses?"

Ari nodded. "Laney lets me ride Storm all the time." She bragged.

"Well this big guy here, he's been hurt really bad and you gave him a pretty bad scare. He thought you were here to hurt him."

Ari rolled her eyes at the baby talk. "Who would want to hurt him?" she asked pretending not to be interested.

"A very very bad man." She answered sadly.

"You're really good with him." John indicated the now peaceful horse. "Do you own him?"

"Sort of." She winced as she looked towards the house. "It's kind of a sore subject between us."

John laughed. "Just between you and me," He leaned in conspiratorially. "Anything he can't control is a sore subject with him.

Sammie turned her back to the house as she laughed, knowing Mark was probably watching them out the window.

"Hey mom, dinner's done." Wade yelled out the door.

"Do you think it's safe yet?" John asked in a stage whisper as he walked her toward the house. He made sure Ari was trailing along behind.

"Probably not. But you can hide behind me if you want."

Mark looked up as the laughing group entered the kitchen. "I see you two met."

The younger man slung his arm around Sammie. "We bonded over being on your shit list."

"Watch your mouth, there are children present." She playfully scolded as the room broke out in relieved laughter.

"Well if you too are done playing around, I'm hungry." Mark growled as he hid his smile. John winked at Sammie as he took his seat.

He waited until they were all eating before he started again. "So Sammie, how long have you know the big guy?"

"A little over a week, I guess." She answered smothering a laugh. She narrowed her eyes as he made a covert motion to his daughter.

"Grandpa Mark, aren't you too old to date?"

Laney began laughing so hard she choked. "Do I look that old?" Mark asked dryly as his daughter ran out of the room.

"Sometimes older men can be really sexy." Sammie joked, smiling suggestively across the table..

Her son groaned as he covered his ears. "I think I'm going to be sick." He moaned.

"You'll have to be a little patient with this old man, he's a little rusty in the romance department." John condifed in a conspiratorial whisper.

Mark had to resist the urge to throw something at the younger man. "And I thought this dinner was going to be a good thing." He muttered.

"I think he's been doing just fine." Sammie defended him.

"Don't listen to a word he says." Mark informed her. "He's not been scoring any points in the romance department himself."

'What's that mean?" John asked sitting up straight.

"Nothing much." Mark shrugged. "Just that I talked to Journey the other day and she didn't sound too happy." He shook his head. "When was the last time you took her out? Go to dinner, do something fun?" He taunted.

"We go out." Ari piped up. "We went to Mcdonald's the other day and then to the mall to get me some shoes."

Mark raised his eyebrows, his point made.

John frowned. "Do you think that's what's wrong? Why she's been so mad?" He sat back in his chair, not happy with the way the conversation was going.

"Honey, every girl likes to be made to feel special and not just a work horse at home." Sammie pointed out softly.

"When Laney's mom was alive we had a day set by, every two weeks, where we did something just for us with no kids." Mark added.

John continued to frown. "But the…" he stopped looking at his daughter. "Other parts are still good."

Mark shook his head in disgust as Sammie laughed. "Unlike men, women need more than other parts." She told him.

"Daddy, I'm done." Ari spoke up, interrupting the conversation between the adults.

"You didn't eat anything." Mark pointed out, indicating her full plate.

She shrugged. "I want to go play." She pushed back her chair, unconcerned by the disapproval radiating from the adults around her.

Mark looked at John, shaking his head in disgust when the other man did nothing to stop her.

"Why do I have to clean my plate when she doesn't." Laney asked looking affronted. She held up a forkful of green beans for her father to see.

"Because you were raised to be polite and well mannered and would never be that rude when you are visiting someone in there house." He looked pointedly at John.

"I'm done too." Wade raised his eyebrows at his mother.

"Don't even think about it." Sammie warned. She glanced apprehensively at Mark, feeling the tension rise in the room.

"Why did you let her do that?" He asked the younger man, his voice tightly controlled.

John had the grace to look embarrassed. He shrugged. "She wasn't going to eat it. Why make her sit there and suffer?"

"That's how you teach kids right and wrong. She's old enough to know better than to be rude like that." Mark pointed out.

"She didn't even take her plate to the sink. I'm not her housekeeper." Laney insisted on putting her two cents in. She too stared accusingly at John.

"Why don't you just keep you mouth shut. You're just making the situation worse." John warned. kicking at her under the table. "My parenting is none of your business."

"Or lack of it." Mark muttered. He watched as his daughter sat back from the verbal slap her older brother had given her. "Hey." He said giving her a little nudge. "Why don't you and Wade go finish your dinner in front of the TV."

John waited until the two teenagers had gratefully hurried out of the room. "Excuse me for trying to cut her a little slack. She's not had the best of childhoods and I'm trying to make up for it."

"There's such a thing as cutting her too much slack. She's going to hang you with it." Sammie inserted gently.

"What do you know about either one of us." John retorted. His jaw was clenched in anger.

Mark growled in anger "Watch who you're talking to." he warned causing Sammie to smile warmly at him.

"I'm not a bad father." John defended himself. "And I don't appreciate you telling me that I am."

Mark sighed at the little boy look that was being directed his way. "That's not what I'm trying to tell you. You're inexperienced and not taking our advice.

John sat in the chair with his arms folded not looking at either adult. " I don't hear advice. Instead you're jumping on me for one incident."

"One incident?" Mark roared. "She was almost killed earlier today and you brushed it off. How much more serious do you need to get?"

The younger man responded by jumping out of his chair stomping out of the house. Mark rolled his eyes when the door slammed. "Sorry about that He's kind of sensitive about the subject."

Sammie smiled gently. "I think it's kind of cute, the way he looks up to you." She moved down the table until she was standing next to him. "It's obvious that your opinion means a lot to him."

He tried not to show how much her words meant to him. "It should. I've tried to beat it into him enough."

She gave a slight laugh. "Go on out and talk to him. I'll start cleaning up."

He took a moment to grip her hand. "Thanks."

* * *

Dave's house

"They're here." Jayden announced from her position at the window. She turned to her boyfriend. "Smile, you don't want to scare them before you even tell them."

Dave shrugged, worry lines cutting deep into his forehead. "It's not like they don't know somethings up."

She shook her head at him as she went to answer the door. "It's about time you two got here." She called out into the darkness as they hurried through the rain.

"What the hell? You yell when I drive too fast, now you're yelling because I was bing careful." He teased, reaching over to give her a hug.

"You better get your hands off my woman." Dave warned as he made his way slowly into the entrance hall.

Randy tightened his arms at the sight of his mentor. Feeling his indrawn breath Jayden patted his arm reassuringly. Forcing himself to relax he gave the older man his patented smirk. "What can I say, women love me." He replied pulling her closer.

Journey laughed as she toed off her shoes. "If his head gets any bigger he won't fit in the door." She danced behind Dave when Randy moved to grab her.

"Whoa." The older man held up his hand. "Don't move any further until you get your shoes off. They're soaking wet." He instructed, hiding his confusing at their reactions.

"You know, we should probably let him leave them on. His feet stink." Journey taunted.

"What has gotten into you two tonight?" Jayden demanded, laughing as she stepped between them. "You're both fixing to be sent to time out." She threatened playfully.

"I thought we were here to eat. I'm starving." Randy decided, picking her up by her elbows and carrying her down the hall. "Are you coming old man?"

Dave turned to see Journey watching him with laughing eyes. "Are you going to let him get away with that?"

"For a minute. Right now I want to know what you and your buddy in there are up too." He demanded, getting suspicious.

She turned her puppy dog eyes to him. "Dave I'm your sweet, innocent little girl. Randy's the one you need to be talking to."

"Ha." Dave slung his arm around her as they followed the other two. "How come I don't believe you?"

"Believe what?" Randy asked from where he was lounging at the table.

"That you would actually be getting off your ass and helping Jayden bring in the food." Dave kicked at the younger man when he continued to sit there grinning. "Go."

"Why doesn't she have to help?" Randy asked pretending to be disgruntled.

She gave him a wide grin. "Because I'm his favorite."

Randy snorted as he got up and walked into the kitchen. Once through the door his shoulders slumped and he ran his hands over his face. "I don't think I can pull this off."

Jayden smiled sadly at him as she handed him a plate of food. "I think it's very sweet, what you two are doing." She placed a soft kiss on his cheek.

He took a moment to lean his forehead against hers before he reentered the dining room, a smirk on his face. Setting the dish down he caught the grimace Journey quickly tried to hide. "Doesn't that smell good?" He teased, pushing the dish closer to her.

Jumping up with her hand to her mouth she raced for the bathroom leaving Randy standing there with his mouth open. "I did not expect that." He breathed, his eyes darting to Dave guiltily.

The older man shook his head as he got up to follow the younger girl. "Journey baby, are you okay?" He called through the bathroom door. He could hear the sound of running water.

Pale and shaky she stepped out. "I'm fine Dave." She assured him. "Certain smells upset my stomach."

Dave shot his arm across the hallway to stop her from walking away. "You seem to do this alot, puke your guts up when you get upset." He stared at her sternly. "You've lost weight." He accused.

She smiled warmly as she reached up to pat his cheek. "Don't worry, I have a legitimate medical reason for feeling like this."

"Yeah it's called an ulcer." Randy called from the dining room entrance where he was keeping watch.

"You hush." She called back, her eyes promising retribution.

"Journey." Dave tapped the end of her nose to get her back on track. "What's going on?"

"I'm pregnant." She announced almost hesitantly. She watched Dave worriedly.

"Does that mean you and John actually..." Randy trailed off, a frown on his face.

Ignoring him Dave looked at her critically. "Are you feeling okay?"

She nodded. "Now that I know what was making me so sick, and as long as Randy stays away from me, I feel fine." She assured him.

He suddenly pulled away from her, leaving both kids staring at him in confusion. "You shouldn't be this close to me, it's not good for the baby."

"What? Why?" She asked perplexed. She fought valiantly for a smile. "I think I would prefer for you to rub off on the kid than Randy."

Dave sighed. "Why don't we go back to the table and I'll explain everything."


	15. Bonding

Finally I have finished another chapter. And I do apologize. The last two months have just flown by. And I really did not intend for the last chapter to be a cliff hanger. But hopefully this will answer all of your questions. Happy reading. And thanks so much to everyone who took the time to review. They are so up lifting.

* * *

San Antonio, Texas

John slapped his hand against the fence of the paddock, anger coming off him in waves. Anger at Mark for thinking he knew everything, at his new girlfriend for her interference, at his own girlfriend for not being here with him. But most of all anger at the world for conspiring against him.

Turning his head slightly he caught sight of the broken top rain and the anger turned to fear as he relived the horror of the 1200 pound horse charging at his small daughter Leaning over he fingered the sharp edge, shutting his eyes against the pictures that swam through his head. Visions of that same sharp edge puncturing his daughter's skin before the force threw her violently to the ground.

"I was frozen to the spot, I was so scared." He said in a soft voice, knowing Mark was behind him. "If you hadn't been there she would be dead."

"That doesn't make you a bad parent." Mark said just as softly, all traces of his earlier anger gone. "It just means that you're human and you love her very much."

"But despite that I am a bad parent right? Isn't that what you wee saying earlier?" John asked as he stared out into the darkness. He had to work hard to mask the tears that were threatening.

The older man sighed as he leaned against the fence. "What's going to keep her from coming over and doing it again? Or something just as dangerous?"

"Not a thing." John's shoulders slumped as he admitted the truth. "Now a days Ari does what she wants when she wants."

"That's obvious." Mark muttered shaking his head. "Now I know that you haven't been a parent for very long and there's always learning curves. But you were doing so good and everyone was happy then boom."

"Boom is right." John mimed the motion with his hands.

He waited for the younger man to continue then growled when the silence remained unblemished. "Why don't you start at the beginning."

The other man laughed bitterly. "The beginning. Well let's see. My mother never accepted me. In fact she went out of her way to make me feel left out." He paused. "Shouldn't I be laying on a couch for this?"

"John." Mark growled in warning, causing a grin to flash in the darkness.

"Okay, okay. But it's the truth ya know." He gave a little laugh. "Life was getting really good. I became champion, home life was great. Journey, man she's the best thing that could have ever happened to me. Now she's probably going to leave and Ari, shit she'll be in juvie before the year's out." He slapped the fence hard. "Damn it, how did everything get so messed up?"

"That's easy. You stopped listening to your family. It'll get you in trouble every time." Mark pointed out grudgingly.

"Well old wise one. What the hell are you advising me to do?" Came the sarcastic reply.

He ran a hand through his hair as he resisted the urge to smack the younger man. "When exactly did the big boom happen?"

John grinned slightly at the choice of words. "That's easy to pinpoint. We got a home visit from the social worker about three months ago."

Mark straightened up from where he was leaning on the fence. "Why the hell didn't you tell me?" He yelled giving the other man a slight shove. "Didn't you learn anything before?" He paused to take a deep breath. "Are you having custody issues?" He asked in a more reasonable tone.

John waved the question away. "Nah, my mother just wanted to stir the pot up. It's just something she does. But according to my lawyer I need to show good faith and follow the case worker's suggestions."

Mark winced. "I'm almost afraid to ask."

"In her opinion Arianna is a very troubled young girl who would greatly benefit from seeing a behavioral health counselor." John recited in a falsetto voice. At the older man's confused look he continued. "She needs to see a shrink for her traumatized childhood."

Mark swore under his breath. "That's a load of bullshit."

"You're telling me. But she put it in her notes so of course we have to comply She even gave us a list of recommended doctors." John shook his head as he rolled his eyes heavenward.

"And what did the esteemed doctor have to say? That she could do anything she wanted?" He guessed.

"Pretty much. Cause by setting boundaries and punishing her we are furthing her trauma." John answered, flushing at the look the other man sent him. "I had to at least try. What if there was some truth to what she was saying?"

"I guess I can understand your reasoning. Maybe." Mark muttered.

"Thanks I guess." John gave a half hearted laugh. "But I think we can both say it was a bad decision on my part."

Mark patted the younger man on the back. "Welcome to parenthood. There are no guidelines giving us specific instruction on what to choose."

"Then how the hell do I know what's right and what's wrong?" The words were laden with frustration.

"Listen to your instincts. Relay on the advice of your family and friends." Mark told him wisely. "I'm guessing this is the root of your problems with Journey?"

"After the first week she was ready to throw in the towel. She told me flat out that it wasn't going to work." he admitted.

"And of course you didn't listen to her."

John winced. "I scheduled more and more appearances and autograph signings, leaving her to deal with the situation. No wonder she's about to leave."

"Knucklehead, why don't you do something about it. She hasn't left yet." Mark was quick to point out.

"I know and it sounds so simple when you say it but I don't see it being that easy." John shook his head slowly, a frown on his face.

"If you want easy, then yeah don't do anything. Ari will end up with your parents after all and Journey will be gone. You'll be champion with no complications at home." Disgusted he started to walk away. "Damn kids."

"That was a low blow." The younger man called after him, an edge to his voice.

Stopping Mark turned back. "It's called tough love, get used to it."

They both turned at the sound of the screen door slamming. "Daddy." Ari called out. "I'm hungry."

John waited until she was almost upon them before answering. "You should have eaten dinner."

"I didn't want to eat that junk. It was all veggies." She made a disgusted face. "I want Mcdonalds."

John kept his face blank as he struggled not to give in to her. He could feel Mark standing beside him watching. "Too bad. You have leftovers or you can wait until breakfast." He held up a hand when she started to argue. "I don't' care which you decide but I do want you back in the house." Turning her around he gave her a little push. "Now."

Turning her head she searched his face before sliding her gaze over to Mark. She narrowed her eyes at the smirk he gave her. "Bastard." She muttered before racing for the house.

He stopped John form going ofter her. "It's going to be baby steps cause you know it isn't going to happen overnight." He commented causing John to throw him an incredulous look but refrained from commenting.

They stood there staring into the darkness for another five minutes, each deep into their own thoughts. "So" John said finally, a smile in his voice. "Sammie seems nice."

Mark narrowed his eyes. "Yes she is. And I would appreciate it if you would stay out if it for awhile."

"Well now that would be easy and I thought, based on our previous discussion, that easy was the cowards way out." He said, grinning openly.

"You're a pain in the ass, you know that right?" Mark drawled as he paced away. John crossed his arms over his chest and waited expectantly.

"Fine, what do you want to know?" Exasperated he threw up his hands.

"Let's see, nah, nah, oh..." John pretended to tick stuff off on his fingers. "Are you going to invite her to the wedding?"

"That's your big question?" Mark asked in surprise and relief. He paused to think about the question as the younger man made a face. "Well she's already met you so it couldn't get any worse."

John pretended to yank an arrow out of his back. "Direct hit." He yelled causing the older man to roll his eyes. Shaking his head Mark again began to walk toward the house.

"Laney seems to like her." John called as he caught up with him.

"So far." Mark frowned thoughtfully, stopping just shy of the house. "Actually why you're here I was wondering if you would talk to her."

"About Sammie?" John asked warily. He wasn't sure if he even liked the other woman yet.

"No... about drinking." At John's surprised look he continued warily. "Shawn mentioned that he might have seen her drinking at a party."

"And you haven't busted her yet?" The younger man asked in astonishment.

He shrugged. "Shawn wasn't sure it was her and I'm afraid if I jump on her without cause it'll push her to go ahead and drink anyway."

"And you think it'll sound better coming from me?" Came the incredulous surprise.

Mark groaned as the implications hit him. "God help me , yes."

Uaaaa, okay, but only if you answer one thing for me."

Mark closed his eyes against the look on his friend's face.

"Have you slept with her yet?" John asked as he danced out of reach and into the path of the car moving up the driveway.

"You should have hit him." Mark called out as Shawn climbed out of the car, causing his best friend to laugh. "I didn't expect to see you two tonight."

"Laney called us. She said bloodshed was occurring and John might need reinforcements." Mandy informed him as she put her arm around the younger man. "You don't look like you need the ER yet." She teased.

He scoffed. "I can take this old man anytime." He boosted.

Shawn shook his head. "He doesn't ever learn does he?" He asked, stepping in front of the bigger man in a blocking move. "So, I heard your girlfriend was here?"

Mark groaned at the unholy light that gleamed in all three sets of eyes. "I have a feeling she's not going to be my girlfriend for much longer."

* * *

Dave's house, Connecticut

Randy sat staring at the ceiling as the silence dragged. Five then ten minutes passed. "I feel like I'm five again and my mom made me sit in the corner." He muttered, causing Journey to choke on a laugh. "Seriously man." He turned to Dave, whose grave face betrayed not a hint of laughter. "I know you're searching for the right words because you don't want this whole thing to hurt us. But you have to realize that this is so much worse." He practically yelled the last words.

"Maybe that's the plan." Journey suggested, her eyes twinkling. "Maybe he's trying to punish you for something."

"That's possible, but it would have to be something we both did because you're here too." He narrowed his eyes in thought.

"I doubt it. This isn't really bothering me." She told him smirking. "You're the one that's going stir crazy."

Glancing around Randy noted that Dave had the beginning of an irritated scowl while Jayden's eyes were watering as she struggled to keep a straight face. He winked at Journey as he pushed back his chair. "Maybe he's dreading the hysterics so much that he keeps putting it off. So if we do it before then he won't have anything to dread."

Smiling she pushed back her own chair. Simultaneously they both fell to their knees and grabbing the older man's arms, began wailing. Shocked speechless Dave looked at Jayden for help. Trying to catch her breath all she could do was shake her head at them.

"Stop it." He roared finally as they both fell to the floor. "What the hell has gotten into the two of you?"

"You." Randy said bluntly standing up and leaning over the other man. "You act like you're dieing in five days."

"Maybe I am." Dave answered calmly, not blinking an eye.

Randy froze in the act of sitting, his face stricken.

"Dave." Jayden admonished sternly.

"They deserved it." He shrugged guilty.

The four once again sat in uncomfortable silence. This time Journey spoke up. "How about we play twenty questions." She decided brightly. "Are you going to be dead in five days?"

"No." He replied grudgingly.

"Having heart trouble?" Randy asked getting back in the spirit of things. Dave shook his head.

"How about AIDS or Hepatitis?"

"Or any STD for that matter." Randy jumped in, wincing as two legs kicked him under the table. "Guess that's a no." He muttered glancing at both older adults as he rubbed his shins.

"What about cancer?" Journey asked as she shook her head at her brother. Nobody answered causing her to look up suspiciously.

"Maybe." Dave admitted.

"How do you maybe have cancer?' She asked shooting Randy a glance. "Isn't it a yes or no thing?"

"It usually is but you have to remember we're talking about Dave here so you never know." He pretended to shake his head sadly.

Dave's shoulder's slumped as he began talking. "I thought I had a back injury so I went to the doctor."

The younger man held up a hand looking confused. "You thought? You didn't really tear a muscle like you told us?"

"Randy." The two females yelled in exasperation. "Let him talk." Jayden said frowning at him.

"No." Dave said slowly, showing a vast amount of patience. "I had a lot of pain in that area but didn't remember injuring it. The pain became unbearable so I had it checked out. MRI showed a tumor."

"So it is cancer?" This time Journey was the one looking confused.

"Tumors don't always have to be cancerous." Jayden explained. Her eyes remained fixed on her boyfriend.

The younger girl shrugged. "So then it's no big deal right? They can just take it out and test it?""

Randy smiled evilly. "Or better yet they can take this really long needle and stick the thing into his back. Kind of like they're going to do when you give birth." He teased causing her to turn pale.

"Make him stop." She complained turning to Dave for help.

"It's wrapped around my spinal cord." He said starkly, bringing instant silence to the table. "Before we began treatment I was beginning to lose feeling in my legs."

"But it's better now right?" Journey asked softly as if afraid to upset the balance. "I mean you're walking okay."

Dave nodded. "I've been undergoing radiation treatments. It has shrunk the tumor enough that they think they can get all of it. If it is cancerous I'll have to have chemo."

"You've been going through radiation hell and you haven't fucking told us?" Randy broke the strained silence, his face tight with anger. Before anyone could comment he had jumped up and stormed into the kitchen. Once there he did his best to resist the urge to slam his fist into something.

"Didn't you realize you didn't have to go through that alone. Damn it." Having heard Dave come in behind him he kept his eyes fixed firmly on the window. "That's what's family's for. Shit I feel like I let you down or something."

"Now you know how I always felt." Dave responded dryly, though his eyes remained grave.

Randy whipped around. "Don't you dare fucking tell me you did this to teach me a lesson." He whipped out, giving the other man a hard shove.

Dave shoved him back. "I did it because I didn't what you to have to go through what I was." He began pacing around the kitchen. "I feel so damn hopeless all the time. The uncertainty and the not knowing are driving me crazy." He pounded his fist against the counter. "God I hate having to put you through this."

"You know." Randy stated calmly. "This is the first time tonight that you haven't acted like a robot." He went to the freezer and pulled out a pint of ice cream. "That makes me feel a hell of a lot better." He grinned as he dug into the frozen treat.

Dave gave a started laugh. "You're crazy. God, your crazy."

* * *

Preview for next chapter.

How does Randy really feel? What's the next step for Dave? Will John reconcile with Journey? How will he feel about the baby?


	16. nightmares

Time flies and once again it has been way too long since my last update. But unfortunately life gets in the way. Happy reading, and you might want to have some tissues ready.

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"You should go home. You still need to drop Journey off." Dave indicated the sleeping girl. The two men were sitting in front of the fire, Jayden having long ago gone to bed.

Randy smiled softly. "It's great that she's going to have a kid. She'll be a great mother. Hell, after dealing with Ari it won't be anything for her."

Dave shrugged. "There's no doubt about that. My concern comes from her relationship with John. It's not very conducive to raising a baby."

Randy looked up in surprise. "I didn't think you knew about that."

"When will you learn that I know everything?" Dave said with a ghost of a smile before looking away. "Its fate I guess. All that bullshit about the circle of life. I'm leaving so it's only fair that her baby enter the picture."

Randy hesitated slightly before choosing to ignore the dark comments. "Its so weird to think about her being preggers. She's going to get fat and everything." He grinned thinking about his five foot three sister fat.

"Wish I could be here to see it." Dave commented gloomily.

Randy scoffed. "Come off it. You'll be the typical grandfather and spoil it rotten."

"Randy." Dave said slowly. "I'm dying. Why can't you understand that?"

Again Randy waved the words away as he concealed the stark fear that turned his insides into a quivering mass. "And you always talk about Journey being a drama queen." He forced a laugh. "Give it up Dave, I'm not buying it."

The older man sadly shook his head. "There it is again. Damn it Randy you always manage to disappoint me. You're never serious, not even when you should be, and everything is always a big joke to you. You'll regret it someday."

Shock held the younger man in place while his breath seemed to freeze in his lungs. He would swear later that he could feel his heart bleeding from open lacerations. "You don't mean that." He whispered brokenly.

There was no answer and time seemed to blur for the young man. Before he realized it he was driving down the dark road. Fear that he wouldn't see the big man again and anger at the words spoken caused him to attempt to turn the car around. Almost frantic now he urged leaden arms to steer the fast moving vehicle.

"Damn it no. I have to go back." He yelled, taking his frustration out on the dash. Bedside him Journey stirred restlessly.

"Forget it Randy. It's too late. He's already dead." She whispered.

"No he's not. We just left him." He answered firmly, yanking hard on the wheel. Conscious of the female screams filling his ear he fought as the car spun in a tight circle. Hitting a high curb the car flipped end over end, sending both occupants slamming through plates of glass. Randy caught one final glimpse of his sister lying in a pool of blood before he lost consciousness.

When next Randy opened his eyes he was laying in a hospital bed. Curiously there was very little pain. A nurse with sad eyes stood at his bedside. He struggled to make his voice work. "Where's Journey?"

"I'm sorry, your friend didn't make it." She answered causing him to close his eyes in disbelief.

"Randy." A sharp voice snapped. He looked up to see Paul leaning over him angrily. "This is the last straw." He began, his mouth grim. "We are done with you. I don't want you to come near us or our families again." Randy felt like his head was spinning as desperately he reached out to grasp the older man's hand.

"Damn it." Paul growled, shaking off the weak grip. "Don't you get it? Everyone close to you dies." He paused as the younger man moaned in dispute. "Your parents and your sister died, but you weren't on the plane with them were you? Dave's the one that dies of cancer but you couldn't be serious for one minute. He died thinking how big a disappointment you were to him. Journey , she died at your hands because you were driving recklessly." He turned his head away so he didn't have to watch the younger man crying. "I have my family to think of. I can't let you near them anymore. John and Mark feel the same." He finished, slipping out the door.

"I'm not making it happened." He choked out to the empty room.

Randy woke as a scream tore through him. Heart betting rapidly, skin drenched in sweat, he looked wildly around the room as he tried to get his bearings. As details from the dream hit home, he grabbed for his phone.

"Do you have a radiation treatment today?" He barked when the other end was picked up.

"Are you okay?" Dave asked cautiously. "And do you know what time it is?"

"Do. You. Have. A. Treatment. Today?" The younger man gritted out.

There was a few minutes of silence. "At Ten. Dave finally admitted.

"I'm going." Hanging up Randy lay against the tangled sheets. He forced himself to relax muscle by muscle. "It's not going to happen." He vowed to himself.

Restless he climbed out of bed and made the short walk to the bathroom. Stripping off the sweat soaked shorts he had been sleeping in he stepped into the shower stall. He sucked in a breath at the cold water before leaning his head against the tile. There he let the tears come. Tears for what had happened, for what will happen and for what might happen. Tears for the family he had lost and the ones that surrounded him now.

Hours later, in the early morning darkness he climbed into his car, fresh anger causing him to rev the engine and peel out of the driveway.

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Wednesday Morning

Exiting the airport parking lot John turned right to head home. He groaned as he hit the light just as it turned red, his nervousness betrayed by the incessant tapping of his fingers on the steering wheel. As he waited his mind drifted back to the conversation from the night before.

"It sucks that Dave's going through that." John mumbled from where he was sprawled on the cough. It was late and everyone else had either gone home or gone to bed.

"Nothing's ever easy." Mark agreed. He glanced over at the younger man. "You know what this means right?"

John got a thoughtful look on his face. "It could mean a lot of things. Which one are you talking about?"

"Which one concerns you?" Mark asked impatiently.

"I dunno." He shrugged at the look the older man sent him. "Journey." He guessed.

"How do you think she's feeling right now? All alone at home with no one to learn on." Mark prodded.

"She wouldn't lean on me anyway." He mumbled under his breath.

"This is going to hit her pretty hard." Mark continued, pretending he hadn't heard. "She's going to need your support."

"Ha." John snorted. "Seeing as how's she's not even talking to me I don't think she's gonna be all that receptive to my support."

"Damn man, how you even have a girlfriend with that attitude is something I will never understand." Mark shook his head in amazement.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He asked indigently.

"It means you're taking too many things in your life for granted." Mark snapped, climbing out of his chair. Aggravation caused him to pace around the room. "Go home and seduce her. Love on her. Fix your relationship and help her through the upcoming crisis." The older man insisted, speaking slowly as if to a child.

John was already shaking his head. "I would love to be able to do that but I've got one big problem. "Ari." He sighed when Mark gave him a blank look. "The little monster is going to be testing her new found limits and my patience and it's going to be ten times worse because she's going to think once you're not around everything will go back to the way it was."

"So don't let it." Mark said simply.

"Okay." John agreed slowly, drawing the word out. "But I can't seduce my girlfriend and corral my daughter at the same time. Especially when said daughter is the main issue between the two of us."

Mark resisted the urge to roll his eyes as he sank back into his chair. "Why do you have to make everything so complicated?"

John grinned. "I do what I can to annoy you."

The older man raised his eyebrows and cocked his head, sending a warning look across the room. "Leave Ari here with me." He proposed.

"You would be willing to do that? Put up with her?" He asked in surprised voice.

"I think I can survive." He answered dryly. "You'll be back on Thursday for the bachelor party. Besides I might need you to return the favor someday. Sammie and I might want some time alone."

John groaned as he covered his ears. "I really didn't need to hear that." Both men collapsed into silence with grins on their faces.

Turning serious John looked at the older man. "Laney was pretty upset about Dave and I know she wants to see him. Do you want to send her up with me?"

Mark shook his head. "Dave doesn't want everyone hanging all over him. That's why he waited so long to tell us his big secret. Besides. " He continued grinning. "You've got work to do." He clapped the other man on the shoulder. "Go home and make nice with your girlfriend."

John was pulled out of his thoughts by the blare of a horn behind him. "How the hell do I seduce someone who hates me?" He muttered as he pressed down the gas.

Ten minutes later he was pulling up in front of a two story gray Tudor style house. Turning the car off he sat for a moment simply admiring what he had. Mark was right and he had taken a lot for granted in the last couple of months. But before his heart could swell with pride he began noticing things, little details of neglect that intruded on his peace.

The grass was taller than either of the neighbors with frequent patches of color produced by weeks. Dirt streaked up the side of the house and a filmy layer covered the windows. "Well that's one thing I can fix." He muttered to himself. When Journey had moved in she had agreed to do the majority of the cleaning if he would take care of the outside. Obviously he hadn't been holding up his end of the bargain.

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Across town.

Walking out of the rental car office Randy shook his head at the choice he had made. Like that isn't going to be conspicuous." He muttered to himself. Out of the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of his mustang, the crumpled driver's door mocking him. Grimacing, he reached up to rub the laceration circling his eye. The lidocaine the doctor had injected was wearing off and the newly placed stitches were beginning to throb. It served to give him a constant reminder of how stupid he had been, trying to out run the anger that continued to course through him. To top it off he could already hear the lecture Dave would be sure to deliver. Pausing in his mental berating Randy frowned. That is if he were in normal health. Today he not be well enough to even notice. Anger once again roared through his body and he shook with the effort to remain calm.

He had pulled up to the curb in front of Dave's house before he was able to breath deeply again. Spotting Dave sitting on the porch he plastered a smile on his face as he approached. "Nice weather we're having. Big change over last night." He winced at the lameness of the comment.

Dave gave him a searching look before sliding his gaze beyond to the one ton dodge pickup the younger man had arrived in. "What the hell is that?"

Randy pushed his sunglasses higher up on the bridge of his nose, wanting to make sure his injuries were hidden. "The mustang needed some work so I thought I would try out a couple different models." He shrugged carelessly.

The older man narrowed his gaze. "What's wrong with your car?" He asked suspiciously.

"Oh just some body work and the paint needs reviving. Nothing the insurance guy hasn't been telling me to do for the last couple of months." He turned to stare at his rental trunk to avoid meeting the other man's eyes. Consquently he missed seeing the flash of anger in the dark eyes or the way the lips thinned in disapproval.

"Randy." Jayden exclaimed as she stepped out of the house. "I'm so glad that you're coming with us." She leaned in to give him a kiss on the cheek, dislodging the sunglasses in the process.

"We aren't leaving yet so just go back into the house. " Dave's voice was like cold steel. "Randy and I have a few things to discuss.

The man in question turned to meet the feral glare head on, even going so far as to rain an eyebrow as Jayden ducked back inside. "Regardless of what you're feeling right now you are not going to miss that appointment."

Dave smiled, the curve of his lips looking sinister. Despite himself Randy shivered. "I guess that gives you more motive to answer my questions truthfully the first time I ask then." The older man taunted. Unable to comment Randy clamped his lips together as he fought the oncoming tide of anger.

Suddenly feeling very tired Dave resumed his seat, his expression haggard. "Are you…that is to say…" he blew out his breath. "Did you try to commit suicide last night?"

Randy gasped in surprise as astonishment held the anger at bay. "Why the hell are you asking me that?"

"Because it's a logical assumption." Dave replied stonily. He sighed and waved Randy to sit down next to him. "You keep forgetting that I know you Randy. Not the cocky, arrogant person you display to the world." Randy kept his eyes averted while his stomach continued to turn their summersaults.

"I know the boy who lost his parents, the one that is constantly seeking approval. " Dave waved his hand around as he searched for the words. "You're, what's the word, an empath."

Randy rocked forward in his chair, his face angry. "I don't have some freaky mumbo jumbo."

Dave smiled slightly. "What I mean is that you're very sensitive to other people's feelings. When someone around you is sad or angry you automatically feel responsible. You feel like you need to fix it."

"Now you make me seem like a pansy." He muttered, not looking any happier.

"I know this hit you hard and you probably think you messed up somehow because someone else close to you is dying. Not that I plan on dying mind you. But too many people in your life have died. Maybe there's something wrong with you. Its not true but I imagine you have thought that. Maybe you thought that you could protect everyone else by not being around anymore." Dave finished watching carefully.

Randy squirmed in his seat letting Dave know that he was hitting close to home. Before either one could continue the screen door slammed open. Randy looked up to see a furious Jayden standing over him.

"Is it true?" She shouted smacking his arm with the magazine she held, repeatedly. "Did you decide to end it all?"

"Owww, damn it stop." He called out as he attempted to duck her blows.

"Don't you dare curse at me." She gave him one more hard smack as tears filled her eyes. Reaching up Dave pulled her into his lap and began rubbing her back.

"I admit that I was feeling guilty, responsible and all that crap." He looked at them, pouting as he rubbed his arm. "But I never, never thought of killing myself."

"What happened to your car?" Dave asked softly.

Randy shrugged. "I had this stupid dream where you died but right before you told me how disappointed you were in me. It made me so angry. So I went for a drive. And you know how when you're really pissed you have a need for speed. I hit a wet patch and spun into a tree. Just scrapped up the side of the car a little."

"And you promise…?" Jayden asked, unable to finish the thought.

"It never entered my mind." He assured them.

Standing again Jayden bent down to kiss the top of his head. "We might disapprove of some of your actions but never you. We love you."

"Even when I'm constantly making jokes?" He asked softly as he struggled to hold back the tears.

"It's a part of who you are and we accept that. It's what makes you who you are." Dave explained. "Just as how we know it's a part of your defense mechanism."

"Okay people." Jayden announced loudly to allow the boys to gain their composure. "We need to get going."

Grinning now Randy shook his head. " You got me with the suicide angle. I was expecting to be yelled at for driving recklessly and speeding."

Dave smiled evilly. "That can be arranged. We have the hold drive to the hospital. Exactly how fast were you going?"

22222222222222222222222222222222222222222

Later that night.

At eleven o'clock that night John was sitting on the steps watching as cars passed. He breathed a large sigh of relief when one pulled into the driveway. Climbing out of the car Journey raided her eyebrows but didn't' comment, leaving him to silently follow her inside.

"Hey." He said softly, chewing on his lips in nervousness. "It's eleven ya know. I was getting kind of worried."

"I didn't expect you home today or I would have called." She answered curtly, dumping her bags on the table.

"So." John drawled as she walked to the sink to get a glass of water. "Get a lot of shopping done today?" He attempted to be causal.

"Earlier today." She snapped, slamming the glass on the counter. "Then I went to dinner with friends, stopped in to check on Dave then drove around for a while. Do you want a list accounting for every minute or is that sufficient?"

"I was just trying to be nice." John said quietly. "I didn't mean to offend you." He sighed when she stayed quiet. "I'm sorry about Dave. If I'd known it was gonna go down like that I would have been there for you."

Letting out a long breath she nodded. "I know but it was probably better that you weren't." She didn't resist when he came up behind her.

"At the very least I could have been there for you when you came home."

She shrugged, upsetting the hands that were lightly rubbing her back. "It was hard being there. Randy and I tried to act like its okay but its not." Tears leaked from her eyes as John ached to hold her.

"I would love to tell you that's its going to work out but I honestly don't' know if it is." He placed a gentle kiss to the top of her head. "But I am going to be there for you."

Later they were cuddled together on the cough, having discussed everything that had happed during his trip to Marks. "If I had know that's all it would have taken I would have sent you ages ago." She teased.

He gave a mock shudder. "I could do without that experience thank you."

She laughed. "Hey it got you to do the yard work."

He grinned sheepishly. "I've kinda let things get out of hand. And someone very important got taken advantage of." He added, caressing the side of her face.


End file.
